And Two Sugars
by wormstachios
Summary: AU. Hair, Clothes, Brain : Caroline Forbes has everything she needs to become the best legal assistant to Esther Mikaelson ever. But an unwelcome surprise awaits her on her first day, and now, Caroline must adapt to thrive. Rated M for language and scenes.
1. the new job

Caroline was told that she passed the job interview rather brilliantly, impressing and charming the pants off everybody, including Esther, the boss herself. She was to begin first thing Monday in their Manhattan offices, and, for little miss Caroline Forbes from Mystic Falls, Virginia, this was her getting closer to her ultimate goal. She had shrieked and cried and danced and smiled until her jaw ached and her legs hurt after she got the call.

She herself had thought the interview had gone well. She'd gave them her everything, tried to dazzle them in any was she could. But she had worried, she always did, that they would see where she was from and dismiss her entirely, or that they would find her too naive, too rural. Too stupid.

And she had just passed the bar, too ! This job was dreamy. A beautiful, perfect, impossible dream. And when she'd go there tomorrow, they would probably mock her gullibility, and send her home on her ass.

But Caroline shrugged it off, and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was a fierce, fiery woman. She'd never let them get away with mocking her. "You", she told herself, "are Caroline Fracking Forbes." She held herself straighter and breathed in slowly. "You are going to Mikaelson& Mikaelson tomorrow, and you will kick some lawyery ass. You can do this, and you can do it better than anyone else ever will." She nodded to herself in the mirror.

Of course, her mom hadn't been very happy about her taking a job as a legal secretary/PA when she was a well qualified lawyer. But Caroline knew this job could lead – would lead – to so much more ! And, not that she'd tell that to her mom but, she needed the money. Really needed it. Columbia University wasn't free, and neither was law school, or a loft – even a small one – in Brooklyn, New-York. Besides, working under one of the most powerful lawyers in America, not to mention one of the most powerful women in America, could be one of the best things that ever happened to her. Caroline wasn't about to let that pass. Yes, she was actually very happy about taking this job.

It didn't help much that, wherever Caroline went, people only noticed the pretty blue eyes, the long wavy blonde hair, the slight southern accent she had tried so hard to lose, and the designer bag and shoes. But the truth was, she was not a Southern Belle, nor was she rich. She had found the shoes in a stroke of luck at a Goodwill, and her bag, a well worn Prada she carried everywhere, had been bought after five years worth of birthdays, Christmases, and her own baby-sitting money. But the point was that people, at least most of them anyway, had never looked past the pretty surface, and so Caroline had remained safely hidden behind it, creating a bubbly personality and the insecurities that went along with it. Only her best friend and his brother had seen through that, and had discovered her real self. She had forever been thankful to them for that.

Graduating third in her class, Caroline had missed many of the opportunities she wanted and felt that she deserved for working so hard, but this job was the shot she was waiting for. Her springboard for the great things she was made for. And, in the end, it made everything else worth it, good and bad.

It was Sunday at noon, the very day before she was to start working, and Caroline was staring at herself, trying to even out her eyebrows. She wanted to be flawless from head to toe tomorrow, and that meant checking everything at least twice. Or three times. The clothes and the hair, of course, but Caroline wasn't about to forget her best asset : her brain. She'd have her roommate – and best friend – Stefan quiz her later on absolutely everything she ever learnt in both college and law school. She needed for her first day to be perfect, because she knew just how important first impressions were. She also knew that they would get her on details if she wasn't 100% careful.

Besides, and as a nice gentleman had remarked in the interview, Mikaelson&Mikaelson wasn't the kind of firm to offer jobs to the third best, and she needed to consider herself lucky if she was hired. God, would she ever live this one down ? Or would it follow her for the rest of her career ?

She, herself, had decided it would not define her, and that she would never again be viewed as anything else but number one. She was not going to let them catch her with her pants down. She was going to be ready for tomorrow, so help her God.

When Stefan came home after his week-end job shift (teaching alone wasn't enough for him to afford rent, and, as much as they had tried, they never did find cheaper in Brooklyn), he found Caroline waiting for him with a hot cup of tea and a plate filled with the only dish she had learnt how to make: mac and cheese. Thankfully for the both of them (and their stomachs), Stefan did the cooking on the week days. It just so happened that mac and cheese Caroline-style was his favorite dish ever, so it all worked out well in the end.

Caroline and Stefan had been inseparable since he moved to Mystic Falls junior year of high school, and, when Caroline told him of her plan to move to New-York to go to college, it had seemed natural for Stefan to go with her. They hadn't needed to discuss anything, it was just the way it was supposed to be. Wherever they were, it was common knowledge that one, they were each other's favorite person and that nothing or nobody would ever change that, and two, that, when you had one, you got the other too. They were a package deal.

That, of course, did not mean that they were crazy in love with each other and that they'd end up getting married, having kids, and live happily ever after (although they often joked that if they were still single by 35, they'd seriously consider it; and Caroline sometimes thought how nice and easy love would be with Stefan.), no. Stefan had dated Caroline's best girl friend all through high school before they broke it off senior year, just before being elected prom king and queen – Caroline had been so angry about that for so long – and Caroline had had a very heated and very passionate on and off relationship with Stefan's older brother Damon for years. They even still got it on whenever they were in the same city. They had loved each other, hated each other, and were now very good friends.

Stefan was the only constant in Caroline's life, and she loved and needed him desperately. He was the water to her fire, he was the rock that kept her grounded when she was spinning too fast, he was her reality check when she puffed her chest. He was steady and reliable and serious and sweet, and Caroline was crazy, passionate, impetuous, and even sometimes a little mean. She was the one throwing emergency dance parties, playing 80's pop music a little too loud, he was the one saying sorry to the neighbors when they knocked on the door, and still smile when he closed it. They loved each other for it, and for countless other reasons, and it was hard for Caroline to picture herself without him by her side.

"Help me!" she cried when she pushed the plate in front of him. "Can't it wait until I've had my coffee and my mac and cheese ?" He flashed his slow, lazy smile at her, and she pouted. "Fine. Eat." She then proceeded to pace back and forth from the breakfast bar where he was snoozing through his meal to the table where she'd laid down all her notes. She tried listening to Stefan telling her about his day, but she couldn't help fidgeting. When she passed him, he grabbed her arm to stop her. "Caroline, you are the brightest and the best person that I know. If you show this side of you I know and love, you are going to be fine tomorrow. They are all going to fall at your feet. Relax. The boss hired you. She liked you. You have nothing to fear. Now sit down and eat. You're making me nervous." And, with the same calm he showed most of the time, he went back to his plate, and to sleeping above it. Caroline's eyes watered a little, and she sat down at once. Her voice was very small when she asked him if he meant it. "Every word." he responded, yawning. And, just like that, the subject was dropped, and Caroline felt much better, and calmer, too. She'd still read through her notes, but she realized she didn't need to do it right now. She hugged her best friend who immediately complained he couldn't eat any more, but hugged her back.

The next morning, Caroline woke up with a start. A glance at her clock told her it was early. Very early. She tried going back to sleep, but she was too stressed. Her stomach was fluttering. She forced herself to take deep, long breaths, and to get up. She got dressed, undressed, then dressed again, but it still wasn't right. After half an hour of standing in front of her closet in her underwear, she found what she wanted to wear : a large, stylish orange t-shirt that she tucked into a black, knee-length, high-waisted skirt, so tight Caroline had to take small breaths if she didn't want to feel like she might die. (It was probably just her nerves, but she felt much better thinking it was the skirt.) She took another thirty minutes for her hair, and some more minutes on her accessories and make-up. It all had taken too long, even by her standards, but once she had finished and looked at herself in the mirror, she felt beautiful, empowered and confidant, ready to take on the world. She took one last look, smiled, and left her apartment after leaving a note for Stefan, fresh coffee, and some pancakes kept warm in the oven.

She was still early, but it wouldn't hurt to take some time getting to know the building before the boss came in. Quite the contrary, she thought. She picked up her usual order at Starbucks, playing with her phone to keep from trembling. She found her courage, however, once she was in front of the firm's building. She rearranged her hair, checked her make-up, and strut in. The new, shiny badge they had her come back to take a picture and make was waiting for her at the front desk. She took it, thanked the security guards with a warm smile, and rode the elevators to her new desk, and her new life.

She found it quite easily, next to Esther's office. When she'd sat down, she examined her surroundings. Esther would be sitting just behind the glass wall and door, not too far from her; but they both still had their privacy and the freedom and room to do what they had to do. The floor itself would probably be quiet, since only the two managing partners had their offices on it, and, while Esther had only Caroline, the other one had a PA and a secretary. She found the kitchen and the staff lounge room quite easily, and she passed some conference rooms on her way to the bathroom. As she came back to her work space, she noticed the office wasn't empty, not any more.

Sitting in Esther's chair was the most gorgeous, handsome man she'd ever seen – and she figured she had met plenty to compare him to –. He was well-built, lean but muscular, and wore the shabby, two day beard Caroline found oh so irresistible. His hair was dirty blond, quite short, which Caroline actually hated but looked so good on him. And his face, his face was the main event. His cheekbones, his jaw, his mouth. It actually took Caroline's breath away a little. Or maybe it was just that she had forgotten the small breaths thing for a second, and her skirt was now punishing her for it. But he was so dreamy, so yummy – Caroline literately wanted to bite him to see if he tasted as good as he looked – that she felt mesmerized for a minute before she snapped out of it. Thankfully for her, he hadn't witnessed any of that, and she could collect herself before walking into the office.

"You're not Esther." she blurted out as she took her ground in front of the desk. He looked up, surprised, his eyes locking onto hers. "Deep blue eyes." Caroline thought. "Damn it." They stayed silent for a while, quietly assessing each other, but, by the time he stood up, she started to feel anger coursing through her veins. She hated when men looked at her up and down like she was some kind of animal they needed to appraise before declaring its value. She was a person, a woman in her own right. And she would not let him think he had any power over her because he was the one in her boss' office.

"That's an acute observation." The thick British accent weakened her knees, and she felt her heart flutter, but Caroline only showed indifference. "Thank you," she felt herself reply almost coldly. "but you're still not Esther." He smiled, dimples showing as he did, and Caroline felt her heart flutter once more. _Fuck you_, thought Caroline, but she wasn't sure if she was talking to her heart or the man in front of her. "Esther's decided that, um, London was more suited to her. She is running our firm there, now."

"London, England ?" It was a weak question, but Caroline was too surprised to think on her feet with this one. "What other London is there ?" He seemed amused by their conversation, and Caroline quickly needed to find something to shut him up, make him stop smiling. "London, Ontario, for one." _There ! That ought to shut him up_, she thought. But he only chuckled. "I enjoy you. You're funny."

"Again, thank you. But you are still not Esther."

He extended his hand to her. "I'm Klaus. Esther's son. I'll be running the New-York firm from now on." Caroline glanced at his hand, then back up at him. She hesitated for a second, but shook his hand long enough to feel electricity rushing on the skin, up her spine, leaving her wobbly on her feet. She heard him gasp faintly before she took her hand back and crossed her arms in front of her. The whole exchange had left her quite weak. "Hi" she started, feebly, before gaining confidence. "I'm Caroline Forbes. I suppose I'm to be your legal secretary, slash executive assistant."

"You suppose ?" He still looked amused, the bastard, while Caroline started to feel frustrated.

"Well, I was going to be your mother's, but she ran off to London without me, so here I am."

"Yes, here you are." They fell silent once more, still staring at each other, unable to look away, unwilling to. She focused on her breathing, tried to get it under control in the silent atmosphere. She heard Klaus clear his throat before speaking. "Can I get a coffee, then, Caroline Forbes ?" Caroline rolled her eyes, and snorted a little.

"Okay, there are three things you need to know about me before we can work together." It was her turn to clear her throat, and he looked at her, eyes sparkling. "One, I choose what I wear. You don't get to tell me what I can or cannot wear. In fact, you don't get to comment on what I chose to wear. It's my business, my decision. The only thing you get to say is your dress is too short, or I can see your boobs. But I'm not going to be one of these suit-wearing women who have forgotten how to be young and stylish. And I am both, so. Besides, I know what is or isn't appropriate, and I will dress accordingly."

"So your orange t-shirt _is_ appropriate for work."

"Do you have a problem with orange ?"

"No, no." He smiled politely, trying to hide his amusement, but Caroline saw it all the same. She chose to continue without pointing it out.

"Two, I speak my mind. I am an honest, blunt person, and I will not change that for you. In fact, I will not change anything for you. At all. I am what I am, and what I am is good. Take it, or leave it. To work with you, to be the best assistant to you that I can be - and trust me, I am damn good - I need to be able to speak my mind. Trust me, we will both be happier for it. For example, that tie, with that shirt ? Uh-uh. I don't even know how you could believe they went together. See ? It's a win-win. I feel better for saying it, and you, well, you'll throw that tie away and never speak of it again."

She shrugged, and the man opposite her opened his mouth. She stopped him with one hand. "I have a smart mouth, and I love it. You probably will too.

And three, don't piss me off. I'm not a nice person when I'm calm, I'm even worse when I'm angry. And if I am ever angry, or frustrated because of something not related to you, I will do my best to hide or control it. And in return for all of this, I will be at my desk six days a week, and up to twelve, thirteen hours a day. I will make your schedule easier, try and take as much responsibilities as I can on my own shoulders, and overall be the best fucking legal secretary anyone's ever seen. Pardon my French."

"Are you quite finished ?" Caroline could hear the laughter in his voice without him actually laughing. "Yes, I think I am."

"Will you planning on giving this speech to my mother ?"

"No." Caroline frowned a little. "You mother was scary." He cracked up a little as she smiled, turned around, and left his office. "So no to my coffee, then ?" he called after her, still laughing. Caroline looked back at him, still standing where he had been when she was in his office. "Oh, I will get you your coffee. I just wanted to make things clear between us." She smiled at him, grabbed her purse, and made for the elevators. "Oh, and, um … You'll take it tall, black and with two sugars, by the way. At least, that's how I'm getting it. And you owe me five bucks." The last thing she heard before the elevator doors closed was her new boss laughing merrily.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, and Caroline barely talked with Klaus. She was so busy she even forgot to take a lunch break, and they both had so many things to do with the change of managing partners, and with the open cases they had to familiarize themselves with. Caroline could hear faint conversations now and then, but, overall, she was buried in too much work to notice anything else happening around their office. She had to stop a few times to take or make calls, and to welcome anyone who needed to see or meet the new boss. She used those times to go pee or to bring back more caffeine for her and Klaus, who barely acknowledged her when she entered his open office to put a mug of hot coffee on his desk, even when said mug was right next to him. Six o'clock came and went without them noticing it, and Caroline only looked up when her stomach grumbled loudly around seven thirty. She still had some calls to make before leaving, but chances were that everybody had gone home. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, but tried calling anyway.

When she finally got up to go home to Stefan, she glanced at her boss. He looked exhausted, but were still on the phone with some clients who were scared to change lawyers at the last minute. Caroline took her purse and knocked on his door to gesture her leaving. He looked up and instantly smiled sweetly, as if it had escaped his lips without him meaning to. He lifted a finger to make her wait, and spoke into the phone : "Could you just wait a second, please ? Thanks." Then, looking at her : "Are you going home ?" "Yeah." she whispered, without really knowing why. She felt dizzy, and looking at him, even tired and rugged, was harder than she'd hoped. "Don't stay here too late, okay ?" "Okay." "Okay." Then, after a second. "Bye."

Caroline almost curtsied but stopped at the last second, opting to withdraw with a small smile instead. She left, promptly, without taking a breath between his office and the elevator. "Jesus Fucking Christ." She swore, loudly, leaning against the wall. She felt more tired than she had in years, and couldn't wait to be home, and fall on the couch next to her best friend, and eat whatever meal he had prepared. She closed her eyes, tried to relax, and only opened them when she heard the ping of the elevator door. Just thirty more minutes, and she'd be home to her fridge, her shower, her bed. Away from her dazzling new boss.

Stefan was waiting for her this time, eager to hear about her day. But she looked so tired that he refrained from asking too many questions, and instead, he let her hug him for as long as she needed. Caroline went straight from his arms into a nice, relaxing, hot shower, and then back in the main room to eat and chat. She told him all about her day, largely playing down her attraction to Klaus Mikaelson, but recreating her speech from the morning. He laughed, hiding his eyes behind his hand. "Oh, God." was all he said at first, but, as soon as she was done, he asked how it was that she still had a job to go to in the morning. "Because I'm hot." She shrugged it off, clearly joking, but she wondered if it was true. "Okay, no more me. Tell me about your day, Stefan. Please ?" She smiled at him, impatient to shut up and eat as much as she wanted to. Stefan obliged, looking elsewhere as she gulped down her food like a cave-woman.

He had papers to grade and finals to organize, so he left her at the bar to go work on the table, and Caroline, after doing the dishes, left him alone. She felt too tired to do anything, so she went straight to bed, and fell asleep as soon as her head touched her pillow.


	2. the Sister

**29 follows and 8 favourites in five days, wow. Thank you so much ! Thank you to Angelikah, tippy093, sweetyK, lele91 and Ellavm18 **for the kind words that go straight to my heart. ****

**I had so many ideas for this chapter that it came together really fast, and I hope it won't disappoint and that you'll like it as much as you did the first !**

**Please tell me what you think, good and bad, it really helps. Thanks, happy reading ! **

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><p>"Do not push me, Caroline."<p>

Klaus was standing up, rubbing his eyes with one hand. He looked tired, yes, but also frustrated for some damn reason. "Why not ? Maybe that would wake you up. Maybe that's what you need." Caroline was standing too close to him for her own taste, but she was too into what she was saying to actually realize she needed to back off. Klaus made a sound, between a grunt and a growl, and Caroline immediately scoffed.

"Did you just growl at me ?"

"Yes, I did, Caroline !" A pause. "You are getting on my last nerve, and I think you should leave." Another pause. "Now, Caroline. Leave." His eyes felt like two knives in her heart, but she was too stubborn to just withdraw and let him win this fight. Besides, not leaving meant he would probably say her name again. She loved the way he said her name. On his lips, her name felt so erotic that she felt her stomach flutter, and her heart gave out for a beat or two.

"Do not growl at me. Don't ever growl at me." It all felt so petty, and Caroline had no idea how they came to be this mad and shout at each other. They had gotten along so well this past few days ! How did it get so bad that they were this close to actually physically fight ? She had no clue whatsoever. She did know, however, that she wanted to shake him, slap him, do something. Anything, just to touch him. Get her hands on him. Get his hands on her. She knew she wanted to be touched by those hands. Held by those arms. Kissed by this mouth...

_Snap out of it ! You're in the middle of a fucking fight. Now is not the time to daydream about touching your boss. _

She took a breath and a step closer, and saw his nostrils flare just a little bit. "Have you completely forgotten who you are, and who I am ? You are standing in _my_ office, and you are _my_ employee, not the other way around, remember ?" He was almost spitting his words, and took one step closer as well. They were now almost in each other's grasp, and Caroline could feel her heart beating harder in her chest, and it felt like it could rip out of her rib cage at any second. She was drawn to him, even when she knew how bad it was, how inappropriate. She was drawn to him and she couldn't help herself. She didn't want to. She wanted to shout.

"Take some fucking responsibilities then ! Do something, for Christ's sake !" She took one more step to actually push him this time. She had put her hands on his chest to do so, but had forgotten to take them off. They had remained glued to Klaus shirt, feeling his heartbeat, fast and strong, against them. She regretted it instantly as she saw him push to come back to her. He had put his hands on hers, clasping them harder against his chest. His face had changed, and there was something of the animal in his eyes. "Don't push me, Caroline." His voice was low, dangerously low, and felt sharp. Caroline took a shallow breath, shivering. She went weak at the knees, her cheeks reddened, and she couldn't do anything else but stare as his face got nearer to hers. She wasn't afraid, though; it was quite the contrary. She was fascinated. She liked bringing out this part of him, this rough, animalistic side of him she didn't know existed. She liked that he was like this, and only for her.

But he was too close for comfort, and their breaths were almost intertwined as they assessed each other. Caroline had to bite her lip to keep from staring at his, form her hands into fists to refrain from moving them all over him. She was desperately looking for a witty comeback, a line, anything, but Klaus was pushing her against the desk, taking small steps towards her. And, when she was trapped between it and him, he whispered : "You shouldn't touch me. Ever." _But I want to_, Caroline thought, almost moaning under his smouldering stare. _I want to, please._ Her breaths were too ragged, too shallow, and she couldn't stop her eyes from looking down at his mouth, then back to his eyes. They looked almost black now.

They stayed like this, staring at each other hungrily, for what felt like a long, long time. Caroline felt heat creeping to her stomach and chest, resting in the very place between her legs she was deliberately trying not to think about. Her legs felt wobbly, and she wanted to hang onto him for support, but her pride and desire kept her standing. They both electrified her, but not as much as the sight of Klaus licking his lips. Caroline shivered brutally.

And, with one swift move, he made her sit down on the desk, legs parted to accommodate him between them, and he kissed her with such violence that Caroline groaned with pain.

She shrieked, loudly, and woke up in her bed.

For a second, she wondered where she were, and looked around herself stupidly. She still felt flustered, and the heat was still very much there, between her legs. She groaned, and hid her face in her hands. This, all of it, was not good. Not good at all. "Uh." She grimaced.

Stefan appeared at her door, looking completely alert, and a bit frightened. "Are you okay ?" He was frowning. "Yeah." Caroline sat up, out of breath. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm, uh, I'm okay. Weird dream. Sorry." Stefan detached himself from the door frame. Slowly, very slowly, a smile spread across his lips. "Oh, my God. You just had a sex dream." "No, I didn't."

"Oh please", Stefan scoffed, "I know your sex dream face. That's the face you're doing right now." Caroline threw a pillow at him, missing only because he ducked. His laughter echoed in her head. "And you spend too much time watching me sleep ! That's so creepy, Stefan."

"Okay, one." he lifted a finger, getting into her room. "I do not watch you sleep, I am just a light sleeper and we shared a room for too long." Caroline let herself fall back on the bed. "Oh my God." she groaned. She felt a weight on the end of her bed, and Stefan continued. "And, two: what was your dream about ? I kinda hope it's about me because I like your sex dreams about me, they're always so twisted." "Oh my God !" Caroline shouted into the pillow she had put on her face. Stefan took it away, laughing. "Come on, Forbes. Spill."

"You're such a girl, sometimes." She sat back up and tried to glare at him, but Stefan calmly responded: "And so are you, sometimes. I don't hold that against you."

"Are you going to go away ?" "Not until you tell me." Caroline sighed. "Fine. I had a sex-ish dream about Klaus."

Stefan's eyes squinted. "Klaus ?" "My boss." He was silent for a moment, then laughed out loud. "Seriously ?" "Yeah. We were arguing in his office, and I pushed him and he grabbed me, like, really hard and then he kissed me, and it was so good that I woke up."

"Well that was a lousy sex dream. I'm disappointed in you, Forbes. You've accustomed me to much better." He stood up. "Well, I'll be going then. Good luck for tomorrow." He winked at her and left her room, closing the door behind him. "How's your search for a summer job doing, by the way ?" Caroline called after him to try and mock him back, but the only reaction she got was one of laughter.

Once again, she fell back against her mattress, then looked at the time. 5 o'clock. _Dang it_. It was too early for her to get up, too late for her to go back to sleep. She got up, grumbling against her psyche, and darted towards the shower.

She felt much more like herself once she was dressed, and ready to leave. She had put her armor of make-up, good hairstyle and fashionable outfit, and it helped her put some distance between her and the dream. It would not do her good to see him this morning and think about the touching, and the kissing, and the heat … _Caroline, come on ! Stop it already,_ she admonished. She tried shaking it off for a minute, trying to think about something else, but flashes and images of last night's dream popped into her head anyway. She sighed. She put some final touches to her outfit, changing shoes and bags at the last minute, grabbed her tumbler filled with the iced coffee Stefan had made the night before, and made her way back to work.

She had chosen a much more relaxed outfit today, composed entirely of nude colors -damn her psyche- except for her daisy pastel blue necklace. She had selected soft brown chino trousers, a pastel pink shed tank, open toe ankle boots and a slick, chic ponytail. She wasn't used to having all her hair up like this, but it looked very professional, and would clash nicely with her clothes. She wanted to look soft and girly today, the exact opposite of what she had wanted to feel the day before, but such were her moods and she had gotten used to them. They were part of her as much as her hopes and dreams were.

At this hour of the day, the subway was filled with early workaholics – she had a feeling they were soon to be her people – and party-goers just about to return home. Caroline felt at ease with them, rejoicing to have made her way from the second category towards the first, and she walked from the station to the Mikaelson&Mikaelson building with her chin up, proudly, and with the ghost of a smile on her lips.

Klaus was already there when she arrived, and Caroline took a deep breath before going in to greet him. "Did you sleep here last night ?" she joked. He didn't even look up at first, but she could guess the smile on his lips. "Are you one day just going to say hello ?" "Sorry, not my style." She had stopped by Starbucks to get him some coffee, and she put the steaming cup down next to him. "So, did you ? Sleep here ?" He gazed up at her, stayed quiet for a few seconds before finally deciding to answer. "I grabbed a few hours back at the hotel, showered, got a new tie, and came back right away."

"Love it." Klaus stared at her, unblinking, and Caroline felt the need to clarify. "The new tie. Much better." She flashed him a smile, trying to be as natural as possible, but it was really hard when he was sitting there, not two feet away from her, looking at her with the hint of a smile in his eyes. Or was there ? Or did she simply imagine it ? God, she really needed to get a handle on this crush thing, or whatever the hell this was, before it got anywhere. "I should get to work." She gestured towards her desk, still faced by silence and unblinking eyes on the other end of the desk. She felt mortified by the quiet reception, and she could tell she had blushed a little. She hoped to God it wasn't showing under her concealer, but she wasn't going to stick around to find out. She left him to go sit at her desk, and, after a second to concentrate, she dived right back into what she had left the night before.

Her second day, and the rest of the week to be honest, was a lot like her first. She had so much work she could barely think about anything else. And after six days at the office, she still hadn't met anyone but her boss. Thankfully, the other managing partner's secretary and PA took pity on her, and invited her to have a drink with them and various other workmates. She quickly texted Stefan to tell him where was going, excited to have something to do on a Saturday night other than looking at her phone, scrolling through her Instagram feed, or staring at Damon's profile wondering where they would be if they were still together.

"Don't wait up tonight, going for a drink with colleagues. love ya xx" The response was almost immediate : "So jealous. Graveyard shift for me tonight, how thrilling ! Have fun. Be young. Love you too. xo" The message made her smile. She felt bad for her best friend, but she felt so good about tonight. She hadn't gone to a pub in ages, and she really couldn't wait to finally let her hair down. Her first week had been stressful, and a crazy wild ride. She felt like she'd been riding a roller coaster that lasted and lasted, and she was out of it at last. Her work, she could handle. The moods of Klaus Mikaelson, a bit less. He'd give her a dinner to plan for the senior partners, change it at the last minute, then cancel it. He'd treat her like a maid, then smile at her like she was an angel out of Heaven. She was completely lost with him, and it didn't sit well with her. She liked knowing. She realized how much she missed Stefan's steadiness whenever she was with Klaus. She didn't know if they were in a kind of power struggle – she rode him pretty hard, too – or if this was just how he was, and if she'd have to make her peace with that. He was nice, especially when no one else was around, and he could be pretty damn charming, too. She had seen him, once or twice, work his magic on some of his new clients, and she mimicked barfing when he'd do it in front of her. But she liked him. If she thought about it, she'd say he was the good kind of boss, the kind that challenges and accepts you, and his eyes didn't go straight to her chest when he greeted her. Which, Caroline believed, was always a plus when it came to it.

But tonight, she would forget about him, forget about her sore feet – working in heels all day every day was already starting to wear thin – and forget about her erratic sleep schedule. She would smile, and laugh, and finally, finally, get a girls night out. Drink cosmos and long island ice teas, and get some gossip in her. Oh, how she loved a bit of gossip. So she got up with the biggest smile on her face, grabbed her stuff, and, in the precipitation, almost stepped into her boss. Thankfully for her and her now fragile heart, he stabilized her on her feet by putting two strong hands on her. "Are you okay ?" He looked at her, seemingly indifferent, but Caroline saw the crinkle in his eyes. "Yeah." she breathed. Sometimes, when she was not ready for him, he took her breath away. And, being so close to him, with his hands on her bare shoulders, was like magic. She took a few seconds before snapping out of it, out of him. She took a step back and smiled forcefully. "I'm leaving early tonight, there's a... party or something happening. They invited me, which is surprising in itself since you make me work so hard I haven't met them yet, but, yeah. There's a party." she finished, lamely. He stayed silent, but the dimples appeared. "Earth to Klaus ?" she asked, when it became clear she wasn't getting any answer. "Hello ? Anything ?" He blinked, twice – Caroline couldn't help but count – before opening his mouth. "Who were you on the phone with ?"

Caroline frowned. She really was not expecting that. God, that man kept her on her toes. "Stefan." she blurted. "And how did you know that I was on the phone ?"

"I happened to be staring at you when you sent the text, or tweet, or whatever you crazy kids do." Bang. Her heart stopped. He was _staring_. Ugh. _Focus, Caroline, focus_. "We crazy kids ?" She smiled. "Dude, I'm 24." It was Klaus's turn to frown. "You don't look 24."

"I don't know whether to be happy about it or to be sad."

"I don't want you to be sad. Who's Stefan ?"

Bang. Her heart skipped another beat. "He's uh .." _Focus. Stefan. Breathe._ "the guy I live with. And my best friend, too. He's, uh, he's something." She couldn't help herself but grin. One, because Stefan. Two, because she was going out tonight. And three, because the most attractive, pig headed, annoying guy she'd ever met was basically flirting with her. Or, at least, Caroline kind of really hoped he was. The butterflies in her stomach jumped as he almost whispered :"I see. He's lucky to have you." She snorted, involuntarily. "Yeah, he is... But I'm lucky, too." She didn't know what else to say, so she simply smiled to hide her discomfort. "Well, I'll see you on Monday, mister boss."

"Okay. Have fun." "I will." She turned around and headed towards the lift. Her smile disappeared as soon as the doors closed on her. "Mister boss ?" she wondered, out loud, and softly hit her face with her palm. "Jesus." Corny. She was being corny. She groaned. And not only that, but she took the lift when the girls where waiting for her at their desks. "Get a grip, Caroline, for fuck's sake." She shrugged it off, stood up straight, and closed her eyes. She sent the girls a text telling them she needed some air, and was waiting for them downstairs.

The pub they went to was called "the Perfect Pint", and, if Caroline was being honest, she would never have stepped foot inside of it if it hadn't been for the girls. They apparently knew it well, preferring it to what they called "boring bars", calling the bartender by his first name and obnoxiously flirting with him, and getting a giant booth for only the three of them. "More people are coming." she was assured. Their first order had come and been drunk, and Caroline felt already more at ease.

"Why did need some air ?" the secretary, Kat – bearing an uncanny resemblance to her high school friend Elena – grilled her during their first round. "Boy trouble ?" Caroline put down her empty glass. "Not really. More like workmate trouble." "Ah. Welcome to the firm, then, kiddo." They laughed, and called for some more drinks. They ordered another round of cosmos, some fries (a plate for three, but Caroline was starving and ate most of them while the girls were too busy drinking and checking people out), and more girls came to join them. They all worked at the firm, and were exchanging gossips as normal people exchanged greetings. The hottest news, it seemed, was the apparition of the second Mikaelson sibling. They all shrieked when it was announced that Caroline – still gulping down fries – was working for him. Then came the debate about whether Klaus was hotter than the first Mikaelson sibling, Finn – and apparently, the other managing partner, whom she had yet to meet – or not. Caroline rolled her eyes at the vapidity of it all, grabbed the almost empty plate and took it to the bar.

"Do you think it's okay for me to bail on them ?" she asked the bartender. "Why would you want to do that ?" Up close, he was really handsome. Caroline had overlooked him earlier because of all the eye battering, and, now that she was looking him over, she almost gawked at him. He was muscular, and olive-skinned, and overall, everything that Caroline found attractive in a man. He was no Klaus Mikaelson, of course, but he seemed easier to talk to, somehow. "Well," she said, unwilling to flinch as she did in front of her employer, "they are engaged in a match of who's hotter, and their sole argument is (Caroline tried to imitate their squeaky voice) "but he's so hot". Yuck." "That's one hell of an argument." He leaned in closer, his hands flat on the bar. He even smelled good. She smiled. "Yeah, well, forgive me if I like a more … interesting conversation." She glanced back at them. "So can I ? Bail on them ? Or is it inappropriate ?" She tilted her head slightly, one eyebrow up. "Well, If you want to come back here and help me pour drinks and hang out, you're fine. But if you want to leave to get back home, just wait a few minutes. They might still surprise you." Caroline frowned, but smiled still. "One, why would I want to hang out with you ?"

"Because I'm clearly more attractive than them." he answered, trying to make her laugh, but she only rolled her eyes playfully. "That's probably because of the cool mysterious bartender look."

"Ouch. My pride hurts." "Aw, poor little cute bartender." He laughed. "You're calling me little ?" She liked flirting with him, it felt easy, and really nice. No butterflies in her stomach, no heart pounding or stopping at anytime, no hardship. She knew where they stood, and they stood on the edge of Caroline actually coming behind the bar to make out with him. Something that she'd never do with Klaus, maybe because there were no bars between them, probably because kissing Klaus would be like falling, she'd never know where her ass would end up.

"Two," she continued, "you know something. Spit." She fake glared at him until he stopped chuckling. "These girls usually hang with Bekah." "Ooooh. I've got chills." She was clearly mocking him, and it was his turn to fake glare. She couldn't help but giggle. "Sorry. Tell me about Bekah." "Bekah's my friend. She's no lawyer like all of you are, but she's really awesome. She's interesting. Fun. Kind of too smart for this place." Caroline could hear how his voice softened when talking about this girl. "And why does she hang out with the who's hotter crowd ?" "Kat is actually a great girl, if you get her apart from the others. She and Bekah are roommates." A second of silence passed before Caroline took a step back. "Well, then, mysterious bartender. I will wait to meet this young girl, but if she isn't as great as you say, you owe me a drink." He laughed. "And if she is," he called after her "you owe me a date." "Deal." Caroline smiled before turning around and going back to the table.

"Flirting with the bartender, are we ?" Kat gently nudged her, and Caroline almost stuck out her tongue. "Well, it seems to be the national sport !" They all giggled, and she added : "Besides, he's kind of hunky."

"Who's hunky ?" Caroline turned her head to see whose British accent was this. For a split second, her heart believed it was Klaus', but it actually belonged to a gorgeous blonde. "Rebekah, hey !" Behind her, the girls all shouted their hellos. _So this was Bekah. Wow._ Caroline simply smiled as the girl sat opposite her, feeling a little jealous over the bartender. "You're Caroline, aren't you ? Hi, I'm Bekah." She extended her hand, which Caroline shook. "Hi", she answered. "How do you -" Rebekah, who probably didn't hear Caroline's almost whisper, turned to the girls. "So who's the hunky dude ? And please don't say the name of any of my brothers. Please." She rolled her eyes. "Tyler." Kat answered with her silky voice, making all the girls listening coo. Caroline scoffed and tried to hide it in a cough, but Rebekah's eyes were on her. They were smiling, and she winked. The girls stirred the conversation back towards the Mikaelson&Mikaelson boys, but Rebekah leaned closer to Caroline. "I hear you're the new partner's secretary. He's a real douche sometimes, isn't he ?" They both started laughing, and, just like that, both girls struck up a conversation that didn't stop until very late. They laughed, and laughed, until Caroline's stomach hurt and Rebekah pleaded for mercy.

She learned that Rebekah came from an excruciatingly wealthy family from Britain, and that she fled to the US as soon as she was eighteen to make a name for herself. She was currently getting a PhD in political science, working as a lecturer part time at NYU, and part time in this very pub. She was grateful for her family – who apparently followed her here, at least for some of them – but she was even more grateful to have had cut ties with them when she did. "Everyone took me for a spoiled princess there", she confessed, "and I guess that's what I was becoming. I hated it. So I left. They all thought I was mad, but I took what I could, what was mine, and I came here. Never went back." She shrugged, smiling. "Best decision ever."

Rebekah asked about Caroline, about Stefan, about her job and her past, and, after only a few hours spent together, she felt they were becoming fast friends. They were still going at it when all the girls left, and, when last call came, they didn't want to part. Caroline proposed to end the night with a movie - "How did you never watch the Breakfast Club ? It's, like, the best movie ever." Caroline argued.- and Bekah took her arm and followed her. "See ya, Tyler !" the girls called out as they were leaving, and took a cab home.


	3. the café

**Hey lovelies ! I've been busy, busy, busy, so this time took its time coming, but I hope it will make you forget the wait ! It's also a wee bit shorter so next time I'll be making an extra long one with loads of fluff ! :)**

**Thanks again for the follows and the reviews and the favourites. They make my heart all warm and happy :)**

**BTW, since English is not my mother tongue, I think it would be a good idea for me to have a beta reader. So if one you guys is interested, please let me know !**

**Thanks, enjoy !**

* * *

><p>Stefan wasn't home yet – he wouldn't be until at least eight in the morning – so the girls made themselves comfortable on the couch, bringing out quilts, pop corn, and even some tissues. They settled in for the movie, but couldn't help but talk over it about something else. Eventually, Caroline made a bed with Stefan's air mattress and threw some pillows and blankets, and the two girls moved it to Caroline's room, where they continued talking until very early that morning.<p>

To Caroline, who had had some girl friends, but none since she moved to New-York, this was heaven. She could talk about anything and everything, and Rebekah wouldn't mad, or offended. She was a girly girl, sometimes, and it felt good to talk to somebody who was one too. They chatted endlessly about guys, dates, fashion, sex, and food. They talked about food, _a lot_. Caroline had loved it. Living with Stefan was the best, but she suddenly missed sharing a bathroom with a girl, or even a closet. From what they talked about, Caroline believed that Rebekah's closet must be awesome. And, as she slept, she had dreams about that closet.

It was around noon that Caroline woke up, her head pounding and in need of a long and warm shower. She found Stefan in the kitchenette, making coffee. "How are you awake ?" she croaked, sitting at the breakfast bar. He chuckled as low as he could and handed her a mug. "How are you alive ?" She struck her tongue out at him, and moaned. "Ouuuch." Stefan was leaning against the furniture, sipping from his own cup, looking, amused, at his very hungover friend. "Had fun ?" he inquired. "Yeah, it _was_ fun." Caroline smiled, and yawned. "How was your night, Stefan ?" "Boring." She groaned in compassion, unable to get more words out of her mouth. They sipped their coffee, slowly, silently until Caroline was attacked - it felt like an attack at least – by Rebekah shouting "Good morning !". Her voice, which had seemed so magical and beautiful the night before, now felt like daggers in her brain. She groaned, and Rebekah laughed. That is, until she saw Stefan. "Oh, shit. Sorry. I thought Caroline was alone." She grabbed Caroline's cup from her – Caroline watched it leave with heartbreak – and sat down next to her. "I'm Rebekah. Puffy eyes here and I met last night at the pub", she added, grinning from ear to ear. _How is she doing that_, Caroline wondered. She stared at her, then at Stefan who took his time to answer. "Stefan. I'm the roommate." "Oh, my God. You're Stefan ? Wow." Bekah nudged Caroline in the ribs. "You didn't say he was this hot." Caroline frowned, looked from Stefan – blushing – to Bekah and back again, groaned, and declared : "I need a fucking shower."

When she came back in the room, some twenty odd minutes later, she found Rebekah, still in her panties and in one of Caroline's old pajama shirts, and Stefan, still holding the same coffee mug, deep in conversation. She felt like she was intruding on something important, so she just grabbed the first thing she could find to eat – a banana – and closed the door of her room behind her. Her head felt much clearer now. As she put some order back into her room and ate what was in her hands – she was starving – she wondered what Stefan and Bekah were talking about. They both were into each other, at least that what it seemed like to Caroline. Stefan's eyes were shining, and Rebekah was prancing around the loft in her panties. She chuckled. She always hoped that Stefan would get over Elena and with someone with character, and passion, and a heart as big as his; but she never thought she'd find her for him. _Pace yourself, Caroline, _she thought._ They've only known each other for like, a few hours. They're not getting married yet. _

"Stefan and I are so getting married."

_Or maybe they are_. Caroline turned around, eyebrows raised, amused. "What ?" Her new friend had the biggest smile on her face, and she let herself fall on the bed, giggled and ruffled the sheets like an eight-year old. "Are you all right ?" Caroline inquired. "He is _so_ dreamy !" Rebekah sat up and swooned. "I'm normally not the kind of girl to fall like that, but he is smart, and charming, and funny, and he has conversation. And he's a fucking adult, which is so rare with guys our age." Caroline chuckled. "Don't I know it." She sat down next to Rebekah, who grabbed her arm and leaned closer. "You have to give me his number." "He's in the next room, go and ask him yourself !"

"I can't, my heart is beating too fast." Bekah whined, before getting really serious. "Feel it." Caroline got up and crossed her arms behind her. "It's too soon for me to go about touching your boobs. Go and ask Stefan to do it, and, while you're at it, ask him for his number. But for the rest, just wait until I'm out of the flat, okay ?" Rebekah smiled as Caroline grabbed her stuff and a decent pair of flats, sent a kiss to Bekah, still sitting on the bed, and made her way out. Stefan was busy cleaning the kitchen, and Caroline smiled, reached out and kissed him on the cheek. "Have fun, Mr Salvatore." She winked at him and left the loft, closing the door behind her.

She grinned, all the way from the apartment to Little Italy, where she strolled through the streets, nose in the air. There was a small breeze running through them, and she took her time window shopping the restaurants, still full on this lovely Sunday afternoon. She sat at the terrace of a café, decided to enjoy herself, and relish in doing nothing. It was a good day to do nothing, and she appreciated that she didn't have to work, like some other people. She could, however, only get a few minutes in the sun before her phone started to ring. She didn't recognize the number, but the area code was from New-York, and she decided to answer. "Hello."

"Caroline." His voice sent shivers down her spine. "Klaus." She felt her lips turn into a grin as he greeted her. "What can I do for you on my one day off ?" He chuckled in her ear, and Caroline suddenly wanted to swoon, or shriek, or giggle. She shook her head, determined not to let it screw with her head. "Don't be snappy, love. I have something for you."

"Don't call me love.", she frowned. "Not even on my day off."

"Shame. Can you come by, then ?"

"No, I can't. I'm having coffee and reveling in the day."

"You what ?" He sounded amused.

"Sunbathing. You should try it sometimes. Anyway, can't it -" The sudden sound of the tone on the other end of the line startled her. "Well, that was rude." She thought nothing more of it and went back to enjoying her day. Her first cappuccino came and went, along a generous slice of New-York cheesecake, and she was now fiddling with her phone – she went through Rebekah's Instagram, glad to see she uploaded the picture they took last night –, appreciating the warm sun on her arms and neck. "Nice flowers." Her head jerked up. There he was, standing in front of her, looking absolutely dashing. He seemed more relaxed, too, now that he was out of the office. Not at all fazed by Caroline's silence – her brain and heart were screaming, though -, he decided to sit down opposite her and order an espresso. "In your hair, I mean." A pause. "At a loss for words, miss Forbes ?" "I'm looking for the right question." "Ah." He patiently waited, a grin on his lips, settling down. He took his jacket off, and rolled up his sleeves. She couldn't not stare at him.

_Bastard_, Caroline thought. _You know exactly the effect you have._ And, indeed, when the waitress came back with Klaus' coffee, she saw her swoon, and smile, and bend over a little too much. Which was exactly why Caroline's words came out of her so abruptly. "How on earth did you know I was here ?" Klaus' eyes, which never left her despite the waitress, glittered as he chuckled. "That's a secret." "No, seriously. This is so creepy that I am hesitating between having you arrested or beating you to death with a spoon."

Klaus acted hurt, but still kept a crooked smile. "You wound me, Caroline." "Not as much as I'm going to if you don't tell me how you know that I was here." She refused to let this pass, hating this violation of her privacy. Undaunted, he only smiled. He let a minute or go by, letting them sip their coffees in peace, before answering. "You posted it on Facebook, you know." Caroline felt her cheeks redden, and battled to stay dignified. "Oh. Well, that's okay then." Klaus' laughter filled her with embarrassment and she tried to hide behind her phone. "Delete. Facebook." she muttered, as his hilarity continued. The truth, though, was that Caroline, as awkward as she felt, she also loved bringing out this side of her employer. This joy that he seemed to feel right now. She couldn't help but grin in response.

"Did you have a nice time last night ?" he asked her as she started on her second slice of cheesecake. "Oh, yeah. Completely awesome. I am so hungover, though, which explains the cheesecake. We drank, we laughed, we flirted with the bartender, I met this crazy girl and we've spent the whole night talking and now, she's doing my best friend." She took her breath. "I don't know why I'm telling you all of this." she added, smiling. Klaus only frowned a little. "She's _doing_ your best friend ?" "Yeah." She gulped down a piece of her desert. "They're having _sex_ if you prefer. At least that's I think they're doing. They certainly seemed like they wanted to."

"But I thought – you and Stefan -" he wondered out loud, and Caroline swallowed her food the wrong way, coughing against her hand. "What ? No ! No, no, no, no !" She tried to get some air as Klaus looked at her, quizzical. "There is nothing romantic going on between Stefan and I. He's my best friend and my roommate and basically my whole world since we moved here but there is nothing else to it. No." Caroline didn't know why she was being so vehement about this. In the past, when people mistook them for a couple, she only laughed and shrugged it off. It never bothered her, nor should it. Stefan is the best guy, and being associated with him really wasn't the worst Caroline could do. She didn't understand why it was so important for her boss to know that she was not in a committed relationship, but she felt the need to make it known, to put it out there. "Oh." He blinked, then added, almost too low for Caroline to hear : "That's too bad." She frowned, but decided to let it pass for now. She saw him shrug. "I'm going back to London for a few days." Klaus declared, out of the blue. Caroline gasped at the announcement. "What ?" "I have business to attend to there. I should be back next week."

"Next week ?" He nodded in response, and she scoffed. "You're leaving me alone on my second week." "Yes, I am." "No safety net." "You don't need a safety net, Caroline. You're good. Even after only one week." Caroline was shocked. She looked down, tried to collect her thoughts before looking at him again. "You can't leave me.", she whispered. He breathed out slowly. "You're a lawyer, right ?" "I am, but -" He leaned towards her and took her hand. Caroline felt electricity running up her arm, but she was too mesmerized by the sweet smile he was throwing at her. "No but. This is what they prepared you for in law school." "Taking over for a managing partner on your second week ? That is not what they taught me." "You can do this, Caroline. I know you can." He sat up straight and shook his phone. "But I'll be right there if you need me. Day and night. Whenever you need, whatever you need." She sighed, looking from him to his phone, and back round to him. She laughed softly. "I can't believe you're doing this to me." She finished her plate, just to get away from his stare. "What, trusting you with my clients and my appointments ?" Caroline looked up in astonishment. "I have to do your appointments ? See your clients ?" "Well, I won't be there to do it, I need you to." He frowned. "Is this a problem ?" Caroline didn't know what to say. She wanted to shout yes, but she also wanted this opportunity very, very badly. She knew it wasn't right for her, not yet, but just for the week would be fine. She desperately wanted to prove herself, especially now that he showed faith in her. "You trust me with this ? With your firm ?" "Caroline, I know this first week hasn't been easy on you. I am not used to having anyone work for me, and everything that I have asked you to do I used to do myself, only now I haven't the time. And you handled it like a pro. All of it. I'm pretty sure I can trust you with anything."

She fought, very hard, against the tears welling up in her eyes, and the strong desire to hug him and say thank you over and over. She tried to stay unmoved by this gesture, and she cleared her throat. "Well, if I burn the firm down I'm blaming you." He laughed. "Fair enough. Try not to die before I come back, though." He sounded amused, and Caroline understood that they were back to playing with each other. "Why, do you want the pleasure of killing me yourself ?" "Oh, no. If I did, who would bring me my coffee in the morning ?" She scoffed in indignation and threw him her napkin while he only laughed at her reaction.

They had stayed in that café most of the afternoon, discussing what Caroline would need to do or not to do while he would be away. They had – well, Caroline had – eaten and drank until they were full, and Klaus offered to walk Caroline back to the subway.

She was quiet at first, suddenly shy. Having Klaus tower over her was very intimidating. They walked down the streets peacefully, leisurely; and it was he who started things up again. "There's something different about you today." "Yeah, I'm wearing flats. I'm small again." was all that Caroline could think of to say. He chuckled, and they fell back into silence. Her curiosity got the better of her, though, and she soon inquired why he was leaving so suddenly. "Something came up.", he said, "I'd rather not talk about it. Not with you. Not yet." She giggled, nervously. "Okay. That's quite a slap to the face, but okay." He turned to face her, stopping her. She was forced to look up to meet his gaze, even though she only wanted to press on. "Caroline -" "No, I get it." she interrupted. "We've only known each other for a week, and I'm not your friend, I'm your employee. Don't worry." "Caroline." he said, again, before she could continue. She braced herself for what was coming next, but he only looked at her. She couldn't hold his stare, and looked away. He only sighed, and they went back to walking.

The afternoon had been perfect, absolutely perfect. They had laughed, and talked, and it had felt like they were becoming friends. Caroline had loved it. And now – now they couldn't even talk properly. The spell had been broken. She looked for a new topic of conversation, anything to make him believe she was not hurt by his rejection, but she came up blank at every turn. Everything she wanted to ask was very personal, and she didn't feel like she could handle another no. She wanted him to open up to her like she wanted to open up to him, but maybe he wasn't the kind of man to want that relationship with an employee. But, then again, he was leaving tomorrow. She didn't want to have any awkwardness between them before he did. She might need to call him for any reason, and she knew she wouldn't if she felt weird about it. Her stubbornness and her pride would prevent her from calling someone who might not want her to call them. "When are you coming back ?" she blurted. "On Saturday, probably." She nodded. "Okay." "Okay." he repeated. Conversation was drying out fast, and no new topics presented themselves. Caroline practically hugged her purse to keep her heart from jumping out of her chest. She felt so awkward. She stopped walking, and, lost in his thoughts, Klaus took a few seconds to realize she wasn't next to him any more. He turned round and looked at her. "Did I do something wrong ?" He frowned, and shook his head slightly, looking down. "Caroline -" "You're being weird, Klaus. Is it because I've asked about London ?" He repeated her name, stepping forward, but she interrupted him again. "I'm sorry, I'm curious, okay ? I didn't think that -" She gasped, loudly, when he put his hands on her face. She could feel his fingers on her hair and ears, the palms on her cheeks. They felt warm and soft, and Caroline fought her every instinct not to move. She stared in his eyes, and held a sigh. "You didn't do anything wrong, Caroline." he assured her, his face inches away from hers. She had felt his breath on her skin, and she wondered if he could feel hers. Up close, he smelt like earth and salt. And coffee. She was mesmerized by the colors in his eyes, and her knees wobbled. His touch felt as glorious as she imagined it would be, and she raised her hand to touch him back, slowly, very slowly. His lips were so close, and Caroline had to fight not to stare at them. But she couldn't help but getting just an inch closer to him. She took a step forward, fascinated by his face and the look in his eyes. She wanted to take a second, and a third, until both their bodies touched and she could grab him tight. She felt him move towards her as well, his fingers in her hair, pushing her face up. He was going to kiss her, she realized, and her heart hiccuped. She wanted him too, so badly, that the only thing that kept her standing was his pressure on her.

The honk of a nearby car, followed by various shouts of profanities broke the charm, and they both jumped. Klaus took a sharp step back and Caroline shivered violently. She had to catch her breath, panting softly. She closed her eyes for a second. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have -" Klaus began, but Caroline spoke over him. "No, no, don't worry, you were only trying to cheer me up. We're fine." He chuckled softly. "We're fine." he repeated after her, cleared his throat, checked his watch. "I think I should go.", he stated, without looking at her. "I can't be late. Are you going to be okay ?" _I would be if you looked at me_, Caroline thought. "I'll be fine." she said. "Don't worry about me. I'm a big girl." He nodded, looked at her one last time, and hailed a cab.

She didn't want to go back home. Not yet. But she didn't want to stay here, in the middle of the street, being ogled by the pedestrians. She called a cab, waving at it, and gave the first address that came to her. She'd always believed that this address would be home, or work, or one of the shops she became so familiar with. She'd never suspect she'd give the address of a pub. She found herself back to _the Perfect Pint_, and she chuckled to herself.

"They say talking to yourself is the first step to becoming crazy. But laughing to yourself, that's – that's step number two."

She rolled her eyes and turned around. Last night's bartender was leaning against a wall, finishing his cigarette. "Did you came back for me ?" he inquired, his crooked smile dazzling Caroline. He wasn't being serious, it was clear to all, but Caroline didn't feel like being serious either. "I don't know." she answered, looking up at the pub's week-end decorum, then back at him. "Maybe." He stood up straight and took a few steps towards her. "What's up, Caroline ?"

In his mouth, her name didn't ring as pretty as it could. It felt raw, but powerful too. She could get used to it. "My boss just left. Gave me the metaphorical keys to the firm." She raised an eyebrow, and he whistled. "Sounds like a party." She chuckled and took a step forward as well. "Are you working tonight ?" From up close, his eyes were a rich, golden brown, and his features were rough, but not unpleasant. She felt her insides stir as he stared into her eyes. "I am.", he answered, and Caroline mimicked a pout. "Shame." He grinned slyly. "What did you have in mind ?" She extended her hand and grabbed his shirt softly with her fingers to pull him closer. "I owe you a date."

As she saw Tyler's grin get bigger, Caroline's mind screamed at her. _What the fuck are you doing, Forbes ? _But she couldn't help herself : Klaus made her spin out of control, and she seized every opportunity to try and get it all back. Tyler made her feel in charge, she called the shots with him. And, yes, it was her employer that got her all riled up, but it was Tyler that would calm her down, get those urges out of her head. At least she hoped he could. She watched him take out his phone and call his own boss in sick, all the while smirking at her. She wanted to kiss Klaus, but she couldn't. She wasn't allowed to. She would kiss Tyler instead. And maybe, just maybe, he would make her forget him. "Let's go, then." He called his boss in sick, and they had left the site running, laughing, and he had grabbed her hand to lead her through the crowd. She couldn't stop smiling as she followed him. _This should be fun_. She was happy she came to see him.


	4. the flirting

**Hello lovelies ! **

**I am loving our little community. Normally, when I write fanfiction, I tend to take my time and update like, once a month. But with you guys urging me on and telling me what you liked about the chapter is pushing me to write. I feel really happy writing this fic because I want to make you happy and warm. **

**There will, however, be more Forwood coming on (but don't worry, they will never upstage our babies Klaus and Caroline), and there will be some drama in the next chapter ! **

**As usual, I hope you enjoy the chapter, don't hesitate to tell me what you like or don't like, and I don't know if we'll see each other before the 25th, but if we don't I want to wish each and every one of you happy holidays and I love you all.**

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><p>Tyler and Caroline ended up hanging out on the banks of the East River, eating out of a container full of sesame chicken they had picked up at a Chinese restaurant as they passed by. Caroline couldn't stop laughing as Tyler did one stupid thing after another to amuse her, and her stomach hurt her so bad she had crossed her arms in front of it and beg him to stop. They watched the sun set on the river, sitting close to each other, hands touching slightly. And, when Tyler leaned in to kiss her, Caroline closed her eyes, and let herself be held in his arms. But, as much as wanted it to, her heart just wasn't in it. It beat, undisturbed, at the pace it always did. Tyler made her feel seen, and understood, yes, but he didn't shift her world one bit. The goosebumps on her arms only appeared because she was cold. And yet, she went along with it, with all of it, and kissed him back and held him close. She didn't know why she did it, maybe because it was nice to have someone with whom she could have an easy relationship, maybe because she wanted some affection. Probably because she needed distraction. She felt awful for using him this way, however. Completely hated it. Which is why she knew they couldn't last, at least not before she got Klaus out of her head and made space for Tyler. He didn't deserve to be second choice. But he felt so nice against her, and she let herself go a little bit longer.<p>

He must have felt her tensing up a little, because when he pulled away from her lips, he told her a joke and she cracked up again. But he also told her how pretty she looked, and how glad he was that they were here, together. She smiled, rather stupidly, and put her head on his shoulder, intertwined her fingers with him. They stayed in that position for longer than Caroline would have thought possible, but he felt too warm and lovely against her, she didn't want to leave. Except that she had to. "Come on" she said, "I gotta go home. I have a firm to run all by myself tomorrow." They chuckled, and he got up first, holding out his hand for her, and he walked her back to her apartment with her hand still in his. They talked and talked and laughed some more, but, once the goodnight kiss exchanged and the boy gone, Caroline felt nothing. No longing, no sudden burst of giggles. She was just content, a smile pinned to her face. She came home to an empty loft, with all of Rebekah's stuff gone. She looked around to make sure Stefan wasn't hiding somewhere, and decided to shut down for the night. She quickly undressed, undid her hair and make-up, slid between her sheets, and fell asleep quickly.

At Mikaelson&Mikaelson, everything felt chaotic. From the moment her ass sat in her chair and her cup of coffee was put on her desk on that fateful Monday morning, Caroline was assailed by phone calls, people throwing paper in her face, junior and senior partners demanding to know what was going on and why her boss wouldn't show up for a week, clients with all sorts of requests, and more phone calls. Some were okay, and Caroline handled those with efficacy and professionalism, but some, some were just too much for her. And, between all the paperwork and the mail, Caroline felt like she was drowning. She had her own duties to perform, but, add part of the boss', and she felt like she needed two more hands and at least one extra head. She worked all day, and even part of the evening, to cover everything she had to do for the day, and to prepare for her next day. Her brain was locked on work mode, and she forgot about everything and everyone else, barely standing up or eating, too afraid to leave her desk to go pee. The only thing she had in her stomach when she left her desk was coffee and diet Pepsi. She didn't see Stefan, or Rebekah, or Tyler at all during those days, and even when Katherine would come up to say hi, she'd have to rush her away because she was too filled with her responsibilities. The clients who came to the the firm for advice were received and met, but Caroline barely could give them more than ten minutes, and her schedule quickly became a mess, what with all the new appointments she was making. Things were more complicated with the associates and the partners, but Caroline handled them with as much grace as she could muster, even in front of a twenty-six year old who trembled at the sight of her, and who couldn't speak to her. She tried, desperately, to find what he wanted from her, but in the end she had to send him back to where he came from empty handed. Even her desk, her tiny, organized, tidy desk, had become a war zone, with stacks of papers piling high, pens and highlighters and paper clips lying everywhere, and the phone that kept on ringing and ringing even when she cried for it not to.

During the day, she didn't have time to think about Klaus, nor about what he was doing, where he was, or with whom. All of which she was desperate to know, of course, but her mind was so filled with work that all her thoughts of him were pushed out. By the time she shut down the lights and got into bed, though, he was all that she had on her mind. She would lie awake in the dark picturing his life without her. She imagined him in a fancy house in the most chic district of London, with the most amazing-looking suit, drinking champagne, and charming the girls. Once or twice, she happened to try and visualize his life in London, but this time she would be there, too. He'd introduce her to posh, rich looking people, and she'd just stand there looking fabulous and talking them down of the high horse. She'd make him laugh, and he would have his arm around her waist, and they would simply be stunning, together. She knew it was bad to think of him this way, but she just couldn't help herself, and her heart swelled every time. She even dreamed of him, and, when she woke up, it'd took her a minute to wonder why he wasn't next to her, smiling at her, holding her close. Or why he wasn't here at all. She ached for him to be back. She missed him, all of him, and not because he could help her with her workload, no. She realized she missed him, because she wanted to be by his side. All the time. On those moments, she would close her eyes, count to ten, get up and get ready.

The first and second day were okay, as far as horrible days went. But by the time her third day rolled over, though, Caroline had had enough. She wanted out. She wanted one night of peace and quiet to fantasize about her boss instead of thinking about the Williamsons' court date tomorrow, or the extra paperwork she'd have to fill for a patent she hadn't had time to do yet, or anything work related. She was frustrated, and tired, and even a little angry. Why on earth did Klaus believe trusting her with this was a good idea ? She moaned as the phone rang one more goddamned time. "Mikaelson&Mikaelson, Klaus Mikaelson's office." she answered, with as much good will as she could muster. "Hi, I'm looking for your boss." the voice on the other end answered. A gruff, mannish voice that sounded snippy, even when rather polite. She already could tell this one was about to annoy the crap out of her, and she silently braced herself.

"I'm sorry, sir, but he is unavailable at the moment. He-" "Oh, come on sweetheart. Don't do this to me. I gotta talk to him." Caroline closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _Don't yell at him_, she told herself, _don't give him the satisfaction_. "Again, I'm sorry, but you just can't speak to him at the moment. He-" She heard a moan, and she was interrupted once more. "Listen, honey, this is important and I don't have time for this bullshit." Caroline gasped, in shock and indignation. "Because you think _I_ have time for this ?" And, before he could cut her off one more time, she declared. "No, no, no, _you_ listen to _me_, pal. I have a zillion things to do in the twenty minutes I have left before everyone goes to lunch, and I am tired, and I am starving, but _no_, I have to listen to you calling me degrading names like 'honey' or 'sweetheart' because you want to feel like you're the boss of me. Well, you're not. And, despite the fact that you're starting to piss me off real bad, I'm going to give you one last chance to apologize and listen after you ask a question. Okay ?" She was trying to keep from crying angry tears, frustrated tears, and she forced herself to breathe through her nose. "Wow, feisty." was all that came from the phone. She sighed. "Okay. I'm hanging up now." "Wait, wait, wait ! Don't !" Caroline rolled her eyes. "What ?" she snapped. "I'm sorry, okay ? Just put me through. It's important." "I can't !" she hissed. "I can't put you through to his office, because Klaus Mikaelson isn't here. I wish he were, I really do ; but he's not and we both have to accept that right now." She heard a soft moan. "Well, just tell him to call his little brother back, okay ? It's important." And, without further ado, he hung up on her. Caroline put down the phone and moaned, rubbing her temples. "I need a punching bag." she muttered. "Or a shot of tequila, or something."

"I have food." She jolted up and felt her heart swell up at the sight of Klaus, standing in the doorway, smiling down at her. "Oh, thank God." she exclaimed, and he chuckled. "I didn't think you'd be happy to see me. You look like I've been gone for years." He put down his briefcase and offered her a Kraft bag that smelt delicious. "I got you a BLT and some chips, fries, whatever you call them here. Thought you might be hungry." Caroline inhaled deeply, closed her eyes for a second to relish this odor, and this voice.

"You have no idea how glad I am that you're here." And she meant it, every word of it. When she opened her eyes and saw Klaus flash her a bright smile, she felt her stomach do a back-flip and her heart do the moonwalk. It took everything she had – and, in truth, there wasn't much left – not to get up and take him in her arms. He made his way back to his office, but, just before he passed the door, he looked back to Caroline and declared : "I missed you too, by the way." She tried very hard not to smile, and not to notice the warmth on her cheeks. She failed, though, at either one. "Shut up." was all that she could get out at that moment.

And with Klaus back, work quickly came back to normal. She gave him all the messages left for him during his absence, including his brother's – Klaus grunted when she mentioned him – and had him sign the paperwork she'd received. After getting him up to speed on everything, she had the luxury of enjoying twenty minutes of peace and quiet while she ate her BLT and her fries, and got herself some iced tea. When she came back, though, she found Klaus on the phone arguing with someone. She tried making herself as small as possible, but she could see and hear most of the discussion, since Klaus was half shouting some of them. She was so embarrassed that she wanted to hide beneath her desk and hug her knees until it stopped. Which is why, when the phone rang, she jumped on it as quickly as she could.

"Klaus Mikaelson's office, Caroline Forbes speaking." she said, almost scrambling the words. "Hey, gorgeous." Rebekah chimed. "Why are you eating your words ?" "Um," Caroline hesitated, looking in Klaus' office to see him rub his eyes with one hand, still on the phone. "well, I think my boss' ass is getting kicked." On the other end of the line, she heard giggles. "Let me guess, the mother." "I don't know", Caroline whispered, "I just got back from lunch." Rebekah groaned. "Ugh. Lucky you. I'm too busy for lunch today." "Aww. Are you too busy for some Stefan, too ?" Caroline chuckled when Rebekah exclaimed. "I'm never too busy for some Stefan. Please. I have priorities." The two girls laughed until Rebekah started up again. "Speaking of priorities, Tyler says he's not heard from you since Sunday." Caroline moaned. "I know. I have been so busy here that I haven't had any time for him. It sucks." "How was the hot date ?" "It was -" Caroline hesitated for a second. "It was nice, as far as dates go." "Nice ?" She heard the surprise in Rebekah's voice, and she quickly tried to reassure her. "He's a great guy, I liked him." "So you did not just make out with him because you were sad that your boss was leaving ?" Caroline scoffed. "We did not make out." "You so did." Rebekah giggled on the phone until Caroline admitted it. "Yeah, we totally did. He's a real good kisser. But how did you -" Caroline, blushing, looked round to see if anyone heard, and went as red as a tomato when she noticed Klaus in the door frame, absolutely livid. "I gotta go, Bekah. Talk to you later." she squeaked. She could see Klaus' nostrils flaring. "Are you back from lunch ?" he inquired, with a very low voice. "Yes." Caroline answered, with an ever lower voice. "Then I'd love it if you could refrain from making personal calls. Thank you."

He shut the door behind him, quietly, and went to sit at his desk. Caroline, completely mortified, went back to work as well. She didn't look up from her computer all afternoon, partly because she still had a lot of things to do, but also because she was too ashamed to look up to see how Klaus was doing. She was a little mad at him, too. He was clearly making personal calls as well, she didn't see why he could do it and she didn't. She understood he was the boss of her and that she had to obey, but it wasn't fair either way. She had endured three awful days, she could at least take five minutes on the phone. Couldn't she ? She said nothing, though, and when it was time for her to leave, she took her stuff and knocked softly on his door. "Come in." He didn't look up, his head between his hands, until Caroline spoke. "Hey." she told him. "Are you okay ?" "Yes, fine, thank you. Just tired. Are you leaving ?" He answered softly, to which she nodded in assessment. "Maybe you should too."

"You're right." He got up, and got closer. "I have many things to do before I do, however." "I'm sure they're going to survive until morning." Caroline half smiled while he chuckled. "Are you trying to corrupt me ?" She faked indignation and exclaimed, with a grin on her lips : "Klaus Mikaelson ! I am a nice, country girl, how dare you." "You don't behave like a nice girl, going around flirting with people." She playfully hit his arm as he roared with laughter. "Shut up !" He raised his arms to his chest as she added : "I like our flirting." "Is this what we're doing ?" Caroline didn't know how to behave at that moment. She wanted to tell him that, yes, they were flirting, and that in fact, she wouldn't mind – at all – if they went further, but she also knew that they were on very thin ice. "Maybe we shouldn't." she answered, and he frowned slightly. "Why shouldn't we ?" "Well, you're my employer. I'm your employee. We should have boundaries. Shouldn't we ?" Caroline stared at him, waiting for him to say fuck it, fuck boundaries, but he did not. He stayed silent, staring at her too, his blue eyes darkening. She shivered, and cleared her throat. "I should go." "Hot date with the good kisser ?" "Don't be jealous, it's unbecoming." "Not really what I care about." Caroline blushed. "Just go home, okay ? Don't let me find you sleeping here tomorrow." As it became cleared he would not answer her – once again – she turned to leave. He soon called after her.

"Caroline ?" She turned back to look at him, feeling strangely sad. "I'm really sorry about this afternoon. I shouldn't have told you off. You've been nothing but professional, and I gave you a lot to do over the last few days, not to mention the responsibilities and the added pressure. You didn't deserve what I said." She smiled a little, decided not to leave him feeling sorry for her."Well, it would have helped if you weren't making personal phone calls either." They both smiled at each other, quiet for a while, before Caroline started to leave. At the last minute, though, as Klaus as about to sit back down, she stopped and inquired : "Why are you back so early ?" She looked back at him, and he met her gaze halfway. He opened his mouth, ready to say something, but decided against it, and simply smiled sweetly at her. "Good night, Caroline." She rolled her eyes and half saluted him. "Good night, sir."

On her way back home, she couldn't stop thinking about their conversation. She tried to read his emotions in his words or his posture, but she couldn't picture everything clearly, and she worried she might be over-analysing some things he had said. By the time she got to her door, she felt frustrated, a little angry, and a whole lot sad. "Is that Caroline Forbes ?" Stefan mocked her as she entered. She scoffed as she put her things away and took off her shoes. "How long has it been ?", he continued. "5, 6 years ?" "Ha, ha." She sat at the breakfast bar where he cooked dinner. It had only been a couple of days, but she had missed him, too. He either was asleep when she got home, or simply not here. "How are you, Forbes ? I haven't seen you since Sunday." "Ugh." She groaned. "I know. You would not believe how crazy it all was. I feel like I could have drowned under all that work. How about you ?" "Fine, you know. Last week of school is upon us, so a lot of papers to grade." She grinned mischievously. "So are we gonna talk about it ?" He put down the knife he was using to dice the onions, and he leaned towards her. "What ?" "Rebekah !" Caroline exclaimed as Stefan rubbed his hands in the dish towel he kept on his shoulder. "Are we gonna talk about _your_ date ?" he asked. "There isn't much to say. He's cool, laid back." After a whole, she added : "We had fun, but I'm not sure it's going anywhere." "Why not ?" Stefan was frowning as he always did when they were speaking about Caroline's love life. "Because he doesn't make my heart skip a beat. He's nice and he's funny, but I'm just not into it." As they talked, she fiddled with her phone. She was stuck on Klaus' number, staring at it, as Stefan stared at her. "And you're into this Klaus guy ? _He_ makes your heart tick ?" Caroline put her phone away and hid her face in her hands. "This is so bad, I can't believe I have a crush on my boss." She moaned as the intercom rang.

She was still in this position when Rebekah got in and laughed. "What's up, Caroline ?" Caroline rubbed her face and looked at her. "Hey. Didn't realize tonight was date night. Sorry, I'll get out of your hair." "No, come on. Stay with us." Rebekah went over to Stefan to give him a kiss, at which point Caroline chuckled. "And watch you two lovebirds make out all night ? I'll pass, but thanks." She stood up, gave a hug to Bekah, grabbed an apple and fled into her room. She let herself fall onto her bed, hid under a cushion, then proceeded to try to distract herself. She tried singing, reading, planning her outfit for the next day, but she always came back to her bed, either sitting on it willing herself not to touch her phone, or lying on it, pushing a pillow on her face to vent her frustration without the whole world knowing about it. She sighed, and groaned, and lifted the pillow to stare at her phone, still displaying Klaus' number. She hovered over it again and again, deciding not to make any kind of contact with him, then started to write a text before erasing it, and started the whole process all over again.

She spent at least half an hour in this state, before grabbing her purse, a pair of flats and headed out the loft in haste. She half walked, half ran past her friend and her roommate talking in the main room without glancing at them, only shouting "I've got to go !" as she passed them. They looked at her come and go with amusement and surprise. Caroline put her shoes on in the lift and headed down to the nearest mall where she purchased a pillow and a comforter, both in white, and also some sheets and a pizza (pepperoni with extra cheese and green peppers, her favourite). She smiled all the way, really glad of her stupid gift idea, wondering why she was doing this. She couldn't believe herself either when she entered the firm's building and pushed the elevator button for her floor. _What are you doing here ?_ she asked herself as she watched the numbers pass, one by one. _What are you trying to accomplish ? _She was really unsure of herself, and a little bit scared as the doors opened with a ping, but kind of excited, too. Really excited, actually. Happy excited. With a grin on her face.

She found Klaus still in his office, working, all the lights out except for his. By the look of things, the cleaning guy had been here, but still Klaus worked. If he had heard the noise of the elevator, he showed no signs of it, and looked absolutely exhausted when he looked up to see who was knocking on his door. She saw him chuckle and took that for a come in. She opened the door and exclaimed. "I knew I'd find you here." She closed the door behind her. "Have you eaten ?" He shook his head, still seated, still smiling like an idiot. "I brought pizza." she declared, putting the box down on the table next to his desk. Before she sat down, she extended her hand, shaking her other bag, causing him to get up and grab it. "And, because I'm awesome, I brought you this." She sat down at the table, and watched him look at her for a second first before he opened the bag and chuckled. "Sheets ? A pillow ? A comforter ?" "Yeah. So you can make a bed out of that couch. It doesn't look very comfortable, though. But at least it's better than your chair." she teased him. He shook his head, laughing softly, and looked back at her. "You're really something else." She laughed, happily. "Oh, I like this." She patted her hair as if she was knew she deserved every one of his compliments. "Continue." He sat down, opposite her, smirking. "I thought we weren't supposed to flirt." She dismissed the thought with one hand. "Nah, I'm over it." They both laughed for a second, enjoying each other's company. It wasn't too long, however, before Klaus added : "You're beautiful, you're strong. You're full of light."

His words knocked the wind out of her, and she blushed. Hard. She had to look away for a second, otherwise she was sure she would have lost it, and jumped on his bones. "Shut up and eat, you – you – doofus." Once again, her lame comeback provoked Klaus' hilarity. "Is that how you speak to your employer, miss Forbes ?" "It is if you're being a doofus." He shook his head, clearly revelling in her fluster, and she threw him a napkin trying to make him stop. They ate slowly, filling the silence with small talk and Caroline's summary of the last two days, until Klaus abruptly changed the topic. "So you have a boyfriend, huh ?" She smiled. "He's _not_ my boyfriend." "Why not ?" "Because he – he's just not." "What's wrong with him ?" "He just doesn't make my heart go mental." "No, I meant what's wrong with him if he doesn't fight to be your boyfriend ?" "Oh." She looked down, clearing her throat. "Maybe he is, I don't know." "Do you want him to ?" "I don't know. I want – I want -" She was searching for words, trying to figure out how to get out of the conversation. "I didn't picture you for such a romantic." Klaus smirked, sarcasm dripping from his voice, and Caroline glared at him. "Right. And I suppose you're a puppy love type of guy." He put the pizza away, leaving it unfinished, and leaned closer to her. "Is that what you want ?" Caroline found it increasingly harder to breathe. "No." She felt light headed, as if all her force was leaving her, and it didn't help much that they were being so close. "That's not what I want." "What do you want, then, Caroline ?" "I want something else. Something more. I just want to be head over heels for someone, because that's just how love is." "I thought love, real love, was supposed to be easy." "Nothing good's ever easy, Klaus."


	5. the pj's

**HAPPY HOLIDAYS :)) And a wonderful New Year to all of you !**

**Thank you for the reviews and the comments, they are so very helpful. **

**Thanks to Angelikah, whose remark I will take very seriously and I promise I'll try to make dialog clearer. Tell me what you think :)**

**In answer to my first guest review on this chapter, asking if we will get Klaus' point of view, we will not, at least not for now. I will, however, be posting a chapter about him, written in his perspective. There are a few things I want to go through before I do, though.**

**And for my second guest review, there is one not-so-subtle action coming at the end of this chapter, bear with me until then :)**

**Some more Forwood in this chapter, and a wee bit more Stebekah because in my mind they're so damn cute. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you seemed to enjoy the others. Don't forget to let me know how it went for you :))**

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><p>They had ended up filling the awkward silence with more work, as they tended to do when it was just the both of them, and either one had just said something incredibly personal or revealing. They stayed at his table, looking over all the things she had done in his absence, since Caroline wasn't sure she hadn't done them all properly. Thankfully, he had found nothing horrible, and she breathed in relief. He stared at her for a second, and Caroline, trying very hard not to steer from his eyes, grabbed the table to keep herself grounded. After a while, he stood, retrieved something from his desk, and put a blue folder in front of her.<p>

"Open it." he told her, going over to stand by the windows. She stared at his back, then obeyed, finding a letter inside. She went over it as quick as she could while Klaus poured himself a drink. Caroline cleared her throat. "What do you want me to do with this ?"

"I want you to respond, and set up a meeting. Soon."

"Okay. I'll take a look at your schedule and -" Klaus interrupted her, smiling. "Not with me, Caroline. With you." She looked up at him, saw that he had turned and was facing her. "What ?" She frowned.

"I want you to meet him. He's a potential client who could bring in a lot of money. Try and see him on Friday, if you can." Caroline blinked, and repeated : "What ?" Klaus closed his eyes, profoundly amused. "Just meet with him. See how it goes."

"Are you setting me up with a client ?" He chuckled in front of her disbelief. "Is that a problem, love ?" She threw him another napkin, which he caught effortlessly. "Don't call me love !" she exclaimed.

"Sorry. Nasty habit."

"Well, keep your habit out of my face."

He frowned, still smiling. "You're not making sense." She scoffed. "Well, if you stopped dropping bombs on me, maybe I would make more sense." He rolled his eyes, and Caroline went back to the letter. "I don't remember seeing it on my desk." she whispered. "It came directly to me." She looked up to see that Klaus had come closer and was standing next to her. She stood too, taking a step back, trying to keep her distance, trying to keep her mind clear. "Do you know this guy ?" she asked him. She saw hurt in his eyes for a second, before he hid it behind a face of polite interest. "Vaguely.", he told her. "We met once, here in New York. But it was years ago." Caroline eyed him cautiously, quietly, before she blurted : "Okay. I'll meet him." She saw a smile spreading on Klaus' lips, making her heart flutter once again. She loved that he kept on trusting her with things he shouldn't be trusting her with. She felt like they had worked with each other for years, maybe decades, and that she was more than his assistant, more than just the pretty blonde girl who answers the phone. She loved being that person, she wished one day to be this person. But, she realized suddenly, she could never be this person if she didn't get rid of that stupid crush. Her small smile faded, and she looked down. Klaus frowned, and put his hand on her shoulder. "Caroline, are you alright ?" She blinked, slowly, and took a step back. "I should go." she muttered, grabbing her purse, and left in a hurry.

She came home flustered and frustrated, trying to hold back tears, biting her lip. She darted past her friends cuddling on the couch, watching TV, and hid in her room. She ignored the soft knocks on her door, and Stefan's voice calling her. She unfastened her dress, took off her shoes. She didn't even bother to take off her make up, and simply jumped into the most horrible, most corny pajama she had. She grabbed her old iPod, and turned the volume all the way up. Her old headset ensnared her head, blasting the Smith's 'Asleep' in her ears. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, tried to think of nothing, tried to focus on the song. For the next few minutes, she'd be free. And, if she was lucky, and the shuffle god merciful, "Sound of Silence" would be next. She sat between her bed and the wall, on the bare floor, trying to ignore the shivers traveling down her spine and the goosebumps on her arms. She seized her blanket and let it fall on her shoulders, hiding inside, trying to ignore the buzzing of her phone which had fallen next to her when she had slid the covers off the bed. She let herself be rocked to the music's rhythm, breathing long and hard, trying to calm herself. She was fretting over nothing. She couldn't even understand why she was in such a state. She lowered the volume as she collected her thoughts. She stared at the wall in front of her, and thought, hard, about her feeling towards her boss. She had missed him when he left, she had been restless and hollow, and now that he was back … _No_, she admonished herself, _you were feeling overworked. Under too much pressure. Nothing else. _She had only been pleased that he was back. And she knew how to breathe, and how to stand, and how to be without him, which, if she compared it to her previous experiences with love – first the quarterback, her first love, and with whom she had been obsessive and quasi-stalking, and then Damon, who made her feel like she was walking on hot coals all the time, rejoicing and thriving in the heat, but with near constant pain throbbing in her soul– was something. She was _not_ in love, she decided, and tomorrow, tomorrow she'd keep him at a distance. No more flirting. No more complicity. Not for a while, at least. Not while she needed to get over herself.

She took a minute to clear her mind before shaking it off, then took off her headset. She grabbed her phone, inspecting it. She had missed two texts from Tyler, and one phone call. Klaus. She shivered when she read the caller ID, but, staying strong, she pushed the notification aside to read her messages. The first one read "Bekah called, says u're down. want me 2 cheer u up ?", and the second was sent ten minutes later. "Nevermind, i'm coming over". Caroline smiled sheepishly, shook her head. She couldn't quite form an opinion on him yet. Was it nice of him to impose himself on her, even to try and cheer her up ? Or was it him being sweet and caring ? Would Klaus be – _No !_ She cursed under her breath. She should not think of him. Tyler would be good, Tyler would be mild. Tyler could teach her moderation, in both life and love. She frowned. Did she really sound that corny ? She started giggling to herself when she heard the knock. She tried to calm down before answering, but on the side of the door, she heard Stefan calling her. "Rebekah and I are leaving, but Tyler's here." She ran to the door and opened it, frantic. "It's after eleven.", she stated, quite seriously, frowning.

She saw Stefan's brow lift high on his forehead as he looked at her clothes, and she heard Tyler try to hide his laughter in a fake cough. She watched as Rebekah joined the party and starting mocking her. "Nice pj's, Forbes." _Shit_. She forgot about those. "Hey, they happen to be very comfy. And I look damn good in anything." Rebekah smiled, and took Stefan's arm. "Preach, baby, preach." Stefan ruffled Caroline's hair, and, making his way to the door, put his hand on Tyler's shoulder. "All yours." he joked, loud enough for Caroline to hear. She seized the first thing she could – a small cushion, lying around on her dresser – and threw it at her best friend who ducked and winked at her. Tyler took a step closer to her. "So he's the guy I've heard so much about." Caroline rolled her eyes. "'You and Bekah have known him for like, two minutes." She wasn't trying to be rude, but the words rolled out of her quickly and naturally. She knew she could be a bitch, but she didn't want to be one to him. He didn't deserve it, not on top of her being such a hypocrite. "And yet he's all she talks about." Tyler answered, gesturing towards the door with his head. "And you're worse.", he added, showing his lopsided grin.

"Shut up." Caroline hit his stomach softly, pouting. She went back to her spot by the bed, and he followed her in silence, closing the door behind him. "So," he started, coming to sit next to her. "let's get down to business." Caroline got back under her covers, extended one end to him. They sat, side by side, not touching, before he changed his mind and decided to sit opposite her. He stared into her eyes and asked : "What's with the ugly pj's ?" She stuck out her tongue. "They're not ugly, they're comfy."

"Sure." he mocked, and she kicked him in the calf playfully. "Don't hate on the pj's."

"I'm not hating," he declared. "they're just awful. But you're right, though." "I am ?" "Yeah. You look damn good." He whistled, trying – and succeeding – to make her laugh.

After that, they sat quietly, looking at each other, not knowing quite where they stood – or sat. The only thing that she thought of to ask him was lame, but she decided that it was better than silence. "Hey, Tyler, what's your last name ?" He frowned a little, quizzical. "Lockwood.", he answered, unsure of why she asked. Caroline jumped. "Lockwood ? As in Mason Lockwood ?" He sighed. "Yeah. That's my uncle."

"Oh my God. I have to meet with him this week !" she exclaimed, and he leaned in, staring. "Why ?"

"I don't know", she said, leaning closer too. "He sent a letter, like a real, formal letter, to my employer asking to meet with him. He didn't say why exactly, just that he needed advice." "Uh." was the only sound that left Tyler's mouth. He didn't seem to know how to react to that. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up." she declared, quickly, and he looked up at her. "No, no. It's fine. I just didn't expect that."

"What did you expect, then ?" Caroline inquired, and his smile came back. "Fangirling." Caroline scoffed. "I am not a fangirl, Tyler Lockwood. I don't even know who he is, or what he does. Or even what he looks like." Tyler grinned. "He's not as hot as me, so you're safe." She rolled her eyes. "I am not meeting with him for his looks.", she told him.

"So you're a brains over brawn kind of girl." "Oh, I like the brawn, too." He grinned like an idiot at this, but she tried not to see it. "So what's he like ? Your uncle ?" "He's pushy." Tyler grabbed her ankle softly, and traced circles on her skin. Trying to ignore the warmth, she waited for more. "Pushy ?"

"Yeah. He's trying to get me in College, and he's relentless."

"You didn't go to college ?", she asked, incredulous. "Nope." he stated, fingers slowly moving up and down. "Didn't see the point." he added, and Caroline scooted closer, nudged him in the stomach. "You have to go to college, Tyler."

"You sound just like him." He had let go of her ankle when she moved, and seized her hand when she had teased him, and smiled when she told him : "I'm serious. You can't stay the sexy bartender forever."

"Why not ?"

"Because you won't be so sexy at fifty." she teased.

"Yeah, but by then I'll be the boss. I won't need to be so sexy."

"Well, then, if you go study business, you'll be the boss that much sooner. Or you could own your own – whatever it is that you want to be the boss of."

"You're not going to back off, are you ?"

"Nope." she stated, a smile slowly spreading on her lips. She saw him lean closer, and anticipated the kiss. She tensed, slightly, but leaned in as well, and slid a hand on his neck. It was a slow, lazy kiss, during which she tried, very hard, to make her heart flutter or skip a beat or something, but, even if he was lovely, and warm, and so nice against her skin, there were no fireworks. _You don't need those_, she shouted at herself, _you need stability. Moderation. You need Tyler, and Tyler sure as hell wants you_. So she let herself go, and when she felt his fingers ventured under her top, she smiled and let it happen.

When she woke up the next morning, she wondered why she was so warm. In the dark of the night, when she dreamed of office romances and a certain guy, she had forgotten he was there, holding her as she slept, one arm over her. She looked at him for a while, remembering how he had made her feel real, and whole, and so, so sweet. She had loved that feeling, and she knew she could very well get addicted to it if she wasn't careful. She wasn't sure she wanted to be careful, though. Her alarm blared at that moment, making her jump, lose her train of thoughts, and making him groan. He hid his face under the covers, and she laughed and reached for her phone. She shut it down quickly, and sat up to stretch. She felt sore, but so nice. Yes, last night's memory could be something to cherish, today. Now that she had double the motive, it would be that much easier to forget about the whole flirting and crush situation. She got under the covers to try and kiss Tyler's nose before getting up and running to the shower. When she came back and saw that he had gone back to sleep, she went to stand on her bed, shaking her wet hair above him, and laughed when he moaned and grunted and muttered under his breath. She laughed even more when he grabbed her and pinned her under him. "Morning." he croaked. "Hi.", she whispered back, smile fading when she felt his breath on her face. She tried very hard not to tense up, realizing she might have made a mistake, letting him sleep here, in her bed. In her home. But he kissed her collarbone and then started pushing her out of the bed. "Now, go. I want to sleep." She rolled her eyes and threw her towel on his face. "Well, you can't cause I have to lock up after I left." She got dressed slowly, underwear, then top, then skirt, listening to him chuckle. "But then you'd be sure I would be here when you came home." She shot him a look. "Get up, lazy pants." But she saw him in the mirror, lying in the bed, staring at her every move. She shook her head, smiling, and went on with her routine. When she came back from the bathroom, though, she found him dressed and ready to go. He kissed her forehead, holding her close. "Knock them dead, Forbes." He winked, and was on his way. She watched him go, breathed out slowly, and went back to her hair.

Did she said it would be easy to forget about Klaus ? Well, she was wrong. Very, very wrong. As soon as he came in and said hello, she felt her insides melt and she had to pinch herself in order not to swoon. She tried to be cheerful in her greetings and in the first exchange of messages and mail, which was easy since she was feeling pretty good, but it was much harder not be flirty or overly friendly. She composed herself during the entirety of her stay in his office, and she could see that he eyed her suspiciously when he thought she couldn't see him. And, just before she left, when he asked if she had set up a meeting with Mason Lockwood yet -"Not yet, but I was going to."-, she saw an opportunity to keep him far away from her. "Hey, did you know that Mason is actually Tyler's uncle ? Such a small world, it's unbelievable."

"Tyler ?" He looked puzzled, trying to remember where he was, or if she ever mentioned him.

"My boyfriend.", she stated, matter-of-factly. She felt shitty for doing this to him, but she knew that if she didn't, she'd never be able to stay away for much longer. She saw him swallow, deliberately, and said : "I thought you said he wasn't your boyfriend." "Well, things change when that boy sees you in pj's he should have never seen you in, and says you look pretty even when you don't." She smiled to herself. She had liked that he hadn't freaked out, that he was composed. She realized it would never make for much passion in their relationship, but she assured herself she could live without passion.

When it became apparent that Klaus would not answer her – even if she had noticed a change in his breathing pattern – she nodded to herself and went back to her desk. She let out a sigh, surprisingly disappointed. She grabbed the phone and dialed Mason's number. She cleared her throat, sat straighter, and prepared herself to be as professional as she could. "Hello ?" The rich, fruity voice on the other end of the line made her smile. "Hi, I'm looking for Mason Lockwood ? This is Caroline Forbes, from Mikaelson&Mikaelson."

"Oh. Hi. Are you Klaus Mikaelson's assistant ?"

_Fuck you_, she wanted to say, annoyed. Instead, she replied, in the loveliest tone she could muster : "Are you Mason Lockwood's Mason Lockwood ?". When she heard him laugh, she decided that it was him. "You reached us and asked for a meeting, which is why I'm calling today. When would you be able to come by the firm ?" "So you _are_ his assistant ?", he insisted, ignoring her question, and Caroline instinctively knew he was doing it to get a rise out of her. She breathed out, slowly, closing her eyes. "Do you want to meet, or not ?" He chuckled. "Oh, come on, Caroline Forbes. Of course I do."

"In that case, could you give me a list of possibilities as to when ?" "Tomorrow, 8 pm. Let's meet at Upland. Don't let him be late." He hung up before she could get another word out. She grumbled as she put the receiver down, and checked out the place he told her about. If she had had time, she would have told him he would be meeting _her_ – lucky for her – but she'd have to surprise him. She had half a min to call him back and yell at him, and then hung up on him, but if she wanted to sign him on as a client to the firm, it would probably not be a good idea. She rolled her eyes and decided to put it away from her thoughts. It would tomorrow's problem. She had enough of those for today.

So she went on, undisturbed, taking care of whatever problem was put in front of her. What little exchange she had with Klaus was short, sharp and a little bit hurtful. He didn't tell her when he left for lunch, and he did his best to ignore her when he came back. She frowned when she watched him pass, and even more when she noticed the cup of coffee in his hand. She opened her mouth to speak, but he closed the door of his office, leaving her speechless. _What the hell is his problem_, she wondered, deliberately ignoring the little voice in her head telling her it was her fault. All she had to do was to get through the day, and to leave him to sulk in his office for as long as he needed. He would be better tomorrow. They all would be better tomorrow. She ignored the grumble in her stomach, and sat still, burying her head in the sand and her mind in her work.

When she left, that evening, he barely nodded to say goodnight. She thought she would be okay with it, but instead, when she felt a bubble of rage forming in her stomach, she put down her bag, closed the door of his office shut behind her and declared : "It's 7.50 pm. My day finished at 6 pm. You're no longer my boss, and you won't be before 7 o'clock tomorrow morning." She saw him rub his closed eyes, and heard how strained his voice was. "Caroline, it's been a long day. Please go."

"Well, it's been a long day for me, too, _Klaus_." she bellowed, as he stood up and filled his glass with water. "Now, tell me, what's your problem ?" She saw his nostrils flare, and he glared at her. "Leave." he insisted. "No.", she stated, and crossed her arms. He seemed to be weighing the pros and cons of talking to her, and decided against it. "Fine, suit yourself.", he mumbled. He went back to his desk, and left her standing there. _Infuriating asshole_. And yet, she stood still, decided not to leave him with the last word. "You won't I won't leave, right ?"

"Fine.", he grunted.

"So you might as well talk, because I have all night.", she went on. He grunted, then glared at her again. "Caroline -", he warned, but she held up one hand and interrupted him. "Don't tell me to leave, because I won't." He grumbled and muttered : "Don't you have a boyfriend to pester now ?" She scoffed. "Is that what this is about, Klaus ? You're jealous ?" He shot her another dirty look, but stayed silent. She raised her eyebrows, waiting for his reply, then groaned in frustration and threw her arms in the air. "Just answer me and be done with it."

"I don't have time for games, Caroline." His voice was low and threatening, but something inside Caroline pushed her to go on when all of her other instincts shouted for her not to. She didn't know how he was when he was angry, and she still wasn't sure it would be a good idea to find out. "This isn't a game. Tell me." Once again, he fell silent, staring at her, his body turned to her. After a minute or so, Caroline flipped out. "Fine. You want to be a child and sulk in a corner and not tell me what's wrong ? Fine. But don't expect me to fix it." She turned to grab her purse, but before she had time to move much, he had stood, crossed the room in two long strides, and had cupped her face with his hands, and had smashed his lips on her mouth. It took her completely by surprise, and she had to cling to his arms not to fall on her ass. She felt her heart stop and her mind shut down, and for a second, there was nothing she could do but feel. His warmth, his closeness, his touch. His kiss. It was terrifying how much she liked this simple action, only because he was the one she did it with. And, when he broke it, she moaned softly, falling into him. "You shouldn't do that.", she whispered, breathless. He looked at her intently, then whispered back : "I know." Why they both whispered when there was nobody around, she wasn't sure. Maybe because it felt intimate. Maybe because she was tired to shout. "No," she started again, "Klaus. You really shouldn't." "I kn-" She reached for his shirt and grabbed him close, kissing him again. She didn't care one bit if someone saw them, she didn't. She only wanted to feel him again, feel him on her, smell his cologne, or his aftershave, or whatever he wore that smelled so delicious, and she wanted to have his hands on her. They shared a violent, passionate kiss that crushed her lips and soothed her soul. She couldn't hear anything else but her heart beating so hard she knew it would jump out of her soon. And when she felt his hand around her waist, pinning her to him, she was actually sure that she was going to die of a heart attack, and she had to lean on him for support. She'd willingly have done everything he could have asked, just so he'd keep kissing her the way he did. But he was there, and she could touch him like she had wanted to since the day she had met him, and she wouldn't – couldn't – stop for the world. It was dangerous, and inappropriate, and crazy. And it was so right. And when he grabbed her hips and lifted her up on the table, she felt herself clinging to him. She opened her legs to accommodate him, and she was immediately rewarded when he put his hand on her bare thigh, just above her knee, sending chills to her every muscle, electricity jolting. She was left an incoherent mess, incapable to think, only able to act. Her fingers slid on his neck, pulling him as close to her as she could have him, arching her back as his other hand slowly discovered her waist. It was heaven and hell combined, to have him here in her arms and knowing it could never go any further than that. And even though this was enough for her at the moment, she couldn't be sure that would always be enough. She imprisoned him between her thighs, his fingers dug into her skin, wanting to keep him here for a little while longer.

And of course, of course, something came up and disturbed them. Klaus' cell phone, in his pants pocket, started to ring against her leg. Her first instinct was to grab it and throw it away, but instead, she felt laugh starting to rise in her throat, push against her lips, against his. She let it spring free, accompanying his corny ring tone, and he groaned in response to the both of them. It only made Caroline laugh that much harder, still hanging on his neck, laughing on his lips. She felt him shiver and reach for his phone. He leaned back to check it, and she took advantage of his distraction to leave his touch, gliding back on the table. She sat there, looking at him, not knowing whether she should run away or stay right here. She smiled, because she couldn't help but; and when he focused back on her, he found her hugging her knees, denying him access, but with the biggest grin he had ever seen on her face. "What ?", he breathed, "Why are you laughing ?" "Because of course your phone starts to ring now. You should get it, by the way."

"And have you run out on me ? No chance."

She didn't answer, how could she ? She should run, she should. She certainly didn't want to, though. She only smiled on, like a kid caught misbehaving and who knew an angelic smile was all he needed to get away with everything. He put down his palms on the table, leaning towards her. "Are you freaking out ? Is that why you're smiling like that ?" he asked, unsure of himself. She shook her head, grinning from ear to ear. "You kissed me."

"Yes, I did." She bit her lip, ecstatic, and repeated : "You kissed me."

"Yes, Caroline. I kissed you. And if it were up to me, it would the only thing I'd be doing for a long, long while."

"Klaus Mikaelson" she whispered, "are you offering me make-out sessions ?"


	6. the surprise

**Happy New Year ! How are you guys doing ? **

**Soooo, tell me, how did you guys like my not-so-subtle action ? I was worried not to meet your expectations, so I hope I did. **

**Once again, thank you for the favourites and the follows and the reviews. Modelgirl267 & Guest, I love that it gives you happy feels :)) And emmaleewhittaker, ugh. Girl, you make me blush and warm and gooey. Stop it. :)**

**Can't wait to hear what you guys think of this one ! Tell me if you think I'd make a good soap opera writer.**

* * *

><p>Klaus had sat on the edge of the table, his hands laying on either side of him, looking purposefully in front of him, oblivious – or ignoring ? - his phone, ringing non stop since he refused to answer it, a few minutes earlier. Caroline had scooted nearer to him, in hopes that they could maybe talk, but they neither touched nor looked at each other, and she had no idea how to get back to their previous blissful state. As it was so often the case with the both of them, they had gone from chummy to awkward really fast. But she didn't mind. She really didn't. It started to feel like their thing, something that was just theirs. A dynamic. A pattern. It felt nice, to know him enough to have that.<p>

They both cleared their throat, one at a time, looking anywhere but towards each other. Caroline glanced at him once or twice, and found him glancing at her, too. It took her a second or two to gather up her courage and before she dived in.

"So," she started, "what now ?" He turned to look at her, silent as a stone, then stood up and faced her, putting his hands on her waist – she felt a rush of adrenaline at the slight tough, but did her best to hide it -. "I don't regret kissing you, Caroline. You're a glorious kisser."

She rolled her eyes, but felt herself blush. "You need to stop complimenting me all the time."

"And you need to learn how to say thank you.", he teased. She shoved him slightly as he chuckled and grabbed her arms. They wrestled for a second like two kids, laughing at each other, enjoying their complicity and the light atmosphere.

It seemed to Caroline that they had gone through their own roller coaster these past few days. From cordiality to trusting to jealousy and now this. Even if she admonished herself, told herself not to expect too much from the future – she always did when it came to love – she had to say it : she looked forward to the next stage of their relationship, the part where they could finally be honest with each other. She wanted to tell him everything about herself, about her past, her ambitions and her fears, and, in turn, she wanted to know all about Klaus. She didn't know if they would evolve from colleagues to couple, or if they would stay in that weird grey area between the two labeled "I work _and_ sleep with you but don't expect me to want more.", and she simply did not care at the moment. She only wanted to know what would happen today, and she'll deal with the rest in the morning.

"I repeat, what now, Klaus ?"

"Well, I don't suppose you'd like to go home with me, do you ?"

Caroline, without hesitation, her eyes locked on his, replied : "Actually, I would like that very much."

She could tell that her answer threw him off guard, and she smiled to herself. "You're are astonishing." he declared, grinning from ear to ear. "I would have never expected that from you."

"Let me finish." She held up one finger, eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Ah. I have a feeling that what follows is not going to be quite as appealing as the thought of finally getting you naked in my bed."

"What do you mean finally ? We've known each other for like, two weeks."

"And I've been thinking about it since then."

He softly grabbed her legs and spread them to accommodate him, and Caroline's skin jolted awake. "You're disgusting.", she teased, a small smile on her lips. She tried to refrain from touching him, but his fingers dug into the soft skin of her thighs, and she had to curl her hands into fists to stop herself.

"Like you've not thought about it, too.", he whispered, and, when she didn't answer, he added, just as softly, grinning : "Disgusting." Her heart stopped when she felt his fingers slowly creeping up her thighs, and finding her panties. The fabric of her dress had gone up with his hands, and her legs were bare for all the world to see, but all she could see was him. Before he could go any further, she urgently placed her hands flat on his chest. "We can't." she urged.

"Why not ?" He was quizzical, frowning, his hands stopped moving, and rested on her lower hips. She saw how he struggled to breathe normally, how full his lips looked. She wanted nothing more than to bury herself in his embrace again, but there was something she needed to do first. She knew herself well enough to say she wouldn't know how to live with herself if she didn't.

"Tyler.", she simply stated.

He groaned, fiddling with the soft fabric between his fingers.

"He's really going to be a pain, that one." he said, as if to himself, before adding : "Fine. Text him. Call him if you have to. Just finish it. I want to kiss you again."

"I want that too. _Trust me_. But I can't text him, it's barbaric. No, I have to see him."

He grunted once more, but didn't move. She sat straighter, getting closer to him, never leaving his eyes. "You know I'm right." He sighed, but wrinkled his nose to make her smile. "Just one thing before you've got to be good."

"What ?"

He kissed her once more, taking his time, his eyes never leaving her own, pushing her towards the table with his weight, as his fingers worked quick in grabbing her underwear. He yanked it down her legs as she cried his name and slapped his arm. "Klaus !"

"I'm keeping this." he declared as he pushed her blue lacy panties in his pocket. "Now go and break up with the bartender."

She rolled her eyes and got back on her feet, trying to put some order in her mind by putting some in her outfit. "I repeat, disgusting." She held up a finger in warning."Don't sniff it."

He laughed and kissed her hair. She took her purse, and, after one last smile and eye roll, she left his office and entered the elevator, giggling like a little girl who just did something she wasn't supposed to. She hid her mouth behind one hand, but still she laughed. She couldn't help herself. She giggled all the way to the subway, even with all the dirty looks she got from the other passengers, but stopped abruptly when she heard her phone ring and looked at the caller ID. Tyler. She breathed out and answered. "Hey."

"Hey. Where are you ?"

"On the subway home, why ?"

"Just get home. Stefan is looking at me weird. I just had to answer a bunch of questions, and he still doesn't seem to like me very much."

"He doesn't hate you, Tyler. He's just protective of me. Is Bekah there ?"

"No, she has a shift tonight. Just, hurry, okay ? I am not positive he won't try and cook me."

She giggled. "I'll be there in ten."

She felt horrible for doing this to him when he was already getting attached, but she had to. She had to own up to what she did, no matter how awkward it would get. She felt so bad that she had felt so good kissing Klaus, and that she had not thought about Tyler – at all – as it happened. She needed to tell him. She couldn't not tell him and be alright with it. In itself, the fact that she had kissed Klaus did not bother her - she was bound to kiss him eventually, seeing how she felt about him -, at least not as much as the fact that she wanted to kiss him again. And again. And once more, just for good measure. Just because.

She hurried along on her way, trying not to think about her bare legs and the movements of her dress, hoping that there would be no gush of wind tonight, or at least none until she was inside. She really wanted to avoid recreating a certain Marilyn Monroe movie scene.

"Hey guys."

She found Stefan in the kitchen, cleaning, and Tyler sitting on a bar stool, fiddling with his phone. He smiled when she entered, and his smile was so infectious she had to smile back, at least a little. "Sorry, I'm late." She put down her bag and took off her shoes, but before Tyler had time to stand and come to her, Stefan appeared before her.

"Klaus give any trouble ?" He asked, pleasantly, eyebrows raised. He had crossed his arms and looked rather upset. Tyler cleared his throat, and she looked from Stefan to him.

"What's going on ?" She frowned.

"Can I talk to you for a bit, Caroline ?" Stefan grabbed her arm softly and lead her to his room -as she passed him, Caroline shot a look at Tyler, unsure of what was happening -, and closed the door. "Caroline, you know that I adore you and that nothing you do or say is ever going to change that. But right now, I just want to shake you and ask you what you think you're doing." Caroline sighed.

"Stefan -"

"You told me, not too long ago, that you had a crush on someone else. This guy, in the kitchen, isn't who you have a crush on. He isn't Klaus. Am I wrong ?"

"No, but Stefan -"

"Then I repeat, what are you doing ?"

"I know, I know. I'm going to tell him about Klaus. I am."

"You'd better."

"What do you think I should do ?"

"Well, if you think that Klaus is worth giving up this good guy who genuinely cares for you, or at least is starting to, then go tell Tyler. But if you believe that consistency is what you need, then please go kiss him, because he really seems to like you. Just follow your heart, Forbes."

"Even if my heart is telling me to choose the wrong guy ? The one that has the potential to hurt me, really badly ?"

"If your heart is telling you to choose that person, then I think he might just be right. At least for now."

Caroline groaned. "Why are you so fucking wise, Stefan Salvatore ?"

"Because I'm awesome."

He kissed the top of her head, and sent her back to the living room. She breathed out and approached the kitchen slowly, carefully. Tyler was waiting on a stool, smiling just a little.

"Hey.", he said, softly. For a second, all that she wanted to do was to hug him and forget about what she'd have to say to him. Grabbing whatever courage she could find, she opened her mouth to speak, but, to her surprise, he spoke before she could.

"Look, Caroline. I'm not a romantic guy. I know what you want to say. I can tell there's someone else. And I'm talking right now, so you don't have to. I want to say that I'm not mad. I see it. You're not fully there with me when we're together. I can tell I'm not your first choice."

"I'm sorry, Tyler. It's really crappy of me to-"

"That's okay. But there's something I want you to know." He put his hands on her cheeks, softly, looking in her eyes. "I'm a good guy. A really good one. I don't play, I don't cheat. I'm committed. And right now, I like you. I like being with you. I like how you're funny, and witty, and feisty, and how you're standing on your own two feet. You are my first choice, even when I'm not. That's enough for me. But if it isn't for you, that's okay."

Caroline Held onto his arm, genuinely sad. She wanted to find excuses, to go back, to tell him what he wanted to hear. "It should be." was all she could manage to get out of her.

"But it isn't." He stood straighter, disappointed.

"No, it isn't. I'm sorry."

"That's okay. Just promise me that if he hurts you, in any way, whoever he is, you'll come to me. Don't be heartbroken on your own. I know you don't need me to hold your hand, but it doesn't mean that it's not good when someone does."

Caroline smiled softly, shaking her head a little. "You really are a good guy."

"I know. Your loss."

They both chuckled before he kissed her cheek and hugged her. "Thank you", he whispered in her ear, "for deciding to tell me. I wasn't sure you would."

"But – if you knew – why did you -?"

"Spend the night with you ?"

"Yeah."

"Because I was selfish. Because I wanted you to see how good it could be with me. I wanted you to see I would still be there in the morning." He smiled, sadly, and left the loft after one last look and one last promise. "You'll call if you need anything ?"

She nodded. She watched him go with some sadness, but her heart had already moved on. _Klaus, Klaus, Klaus_, it beat. She heard Stefan move behind her and wrapped her in his arms. She felt his familiar warmth around her, and she knew she could find a home with him, even when she did something wrong, even if he didn't approve of what she was doing. She was grateful to him. She stayed there, leaning against him, closing her eyes.

"Stefan ?"

"Yeah ?"

"I am so lucky to have you."

"Yes, you are." She laughed, kissed his hand and drive herself away from him. "Well, wish me luck."

"You don't need luck. You're you. He'd be a fool to turn you away." 

She retrieved his address from her phone, and took a cab there. She didn't know how to get there with the subway, nor did she want the hassle. She wanted to get there fast. To be honest, she wanted it over with. She wanted to skip the awkward part, and get right to where they'd left off only two hours ago. She wanted – craved – the intimacy. But once she got to the door, she had to take a second to compose herself. Heart beating like crazy, hands slightly moist, she was so nervous that she wondered if she was doing the right thing. Surely, if her heart was about to stop, this was not the healthy choice. But she had gone so far already. She was too excited to back out. She knocked on his door, trying to keep her breathing pattern as normal as it could get under the circumstances. The seconds she had to see pass by as she waited felt never-ending, but soon, Klaus opened his door. The sight of him very nearly took Caroline's breath away. He had changed his clothes, and was now wearing dark jeans and a grey Henley shirt, which she instantly wanted to tear off him. He looked so good, almost edible. She groaned inwardly, while trying to look detached, amused.

"Caroline." he greeted, genuinely surprised. "How do you know where I live ?"

"You know my cell number, I know your address. We're even."

He laughed, happily, and the sound rang in Caroline's ears. She extended her hand flat before her. "My panties, please." He took her hand with his, and pulled her in, closed the door behind her. "No chance." He leaned in to kiss her, but she dodged him, passed underneath his arm. He turned and warned, playfully : "Caroline."

"Panties, please." She smiled, as innocently as she could, and he had to grab her waist to get her to hold still, even though she still tried to wiggle her way free. "No chance." he repeated before he kissed her, hard, and she had to latch onto him for support again, holding onto his shirt, crushing it between her fingers. She let herself go, completely, for a second or two. But there was something nagging on her mind, though, and she had to get it out of her before she could go any further. That was the deal she had passed with herself in the cab, her one condition to letting herself do what she knew was a mistake. A mistake she very, very much wanted to do, but still one by all accounts. She gently pushed Klaus away, repeating "Wait !" against his mouth. He grunted, unwilling to let her go. "I've waited enough."

"Klaus, please.", she laughed.

"Fine." He pulled away, still pinning her to him with one arm on the small of her back. "Ten seconds." She giggled. "You're a child.", she teased, and he crinkled his nose to make her smile. "Nine.", he continued.

"Okay, okay." She breathed, slowly, in and out, before declaring : "I want a future." He frowned, and started to open his mouth but Caroline put the tip of her fingers on his mouth to shut him up.

"I mean with the firm. I like it there, and that job is everything I dreamed it would be. I want to stay. Can you promise me that what we're about to do here is not going to jeopardize that ?"  
>"Caroline, you-"<p>

"Don't. Just say it. Say it's not."

"Of course it's not."

"Okay, be-" She hadn't had time to finish her sentence since he had started kissing her again, his fingers dancing on her lower back, but she pushed him away again.

"Do you promise it's not going to change the way we work together ?"

"I do." he breathed, before leaning in again, eyes black with desire, before she pushed him gently away one last time.

"Klaus, I mean it." He looked at her for a second before warning her : "Caroline, if you continue squirming this way, I'm going to have to hold your arms so you can't get away any more."

"Then answer me seriously and I promise I'll behave." She giggled, her face only inches away from his, and she pinched the skin just above his navel. "Stop it.", he growled.

"Tell me."

"Caroline." He became serious, kissing her nose. "My feelings for you, whatever they are, are not going to change the fact that you're someone I take delight in working with. All the things that I have said before are still valid, and they exist beside all the things I will make you yell once I get you in my bed."

"Ooh, I can't wait." She giggled, and this time, when he leaned in, she met him halfway and crushed her lips onto his with equal greed and wanting. She would be unable to say whose tongue entered whose mouth, but the result was mind-blowing, and Caroline found herself panting under Klaus. He pushed her backwards, holding on to her waist with both his hands, and Caroline was soon pinned against a wall, and against the man she wanted so much that it physically hurt her. They stood there, wrapped in their bubble, kissing with such violence that Caroline moaned against Klaus' lips once or twice. She felt him shiver as she did, and his fingers clawed on her skin. She felt so good in his arms, and she was sure that if she closed her eyes, she might actually get lost in him. He was there, against her, so warm, so close, but she felt like he wasn't close enough, not yet. She wanted to be skin against skin, she wanted to see him, to touch him, to realize that he was real and coming alive under her fingertips. She slid her hands under his shirt, fingers wandering around his waist, barely touching, but still she felt the electricity. She was yearning for more, much, much more, and her lust and desire were eating her alive. She realized that, at this point, she needed much more than she wanted; that she could only feel like herself again once she was in his bed, crying out for more. She was light-headed, and her heart was thumping in her chest. She took off Klaus' shirt, and just put her palms on his skin: it seemed on fire, and, as her fingertips explored his chest, she felt that his heartbeat matched her. Erratic, and so out of control. This simple realization unnerved her for a second, and she would have fallen where it not for Klaus holding her tight. They were both out of breath, and Caroline knew that if he didn't take her soon, she would probably lose her mind entirely. Gone, were her worries of propriety and decency and all of the rest. All that was left of her was her heart, in turn beating like a drum or dying between his arms, and her body, which had taken complete control of her. She was alive, she was awake, for what felt like the first time in a long, long time.

His hands were still digging holes on her hips, as if he was afraid that she could vanish at any moment and that he had to do anything to keep her here, but his lips were trailing kisses on her jaw, on her throat, on her neck. They were light, they were hot, and they left a little pink mark that felt like burns. If someone turned out the lights right about now, Caroline was sure she could glow from them. She bit her lip, offering him full access to her skin, only wanting more. He nibbled, grazed, sucked at it, revelling in every sound she was making under his mouth. That, combined with his tongue playing on her skin, kissing, biting, caressing, all of it had Klaus panting. Her head was leaning backwards, eyes half-closed, lips parted. She arched her back against him, and moaned his name in his ear. She saw the shudder more than she felt it, but it pleased her. She liked knowing that she could make him feel this way, and she wanted to see his reaction to everything she wanted to do to him. Her hands found the buckle of his belt, and she quickly opened it, letting it fall between her fingers. She smiled, her gaze never leaving his face. He was looking at her too, leisurely pulling up her dress. 

"Klaus ?"

It was a small cry, and Caroline wondered if she hadn't dreamed it. Actually, she was quite sure she had, but she felt Klaus' body tense up against her, and saw his gaze go blank and unreadable. He had turned, very, very slowly, towards the noise. But she couldn't. She still didn't understand. She looked at him, frowning, wondering what was happening. She studied his face for a second before she turned her head towards what he was looking at. She gasped, loudly, as she realized they were not alone any more.

"Camille ?"

Caroline felt Klaus' grip on her loosen, and she took the chance to stand up straight, but there wasn't much room, as he still hadn't moved. She looked from the blond girl in the door-frame, slowly closing the door behind her, to the man her heart was beating so fast for, and who she still had her hands on. She didn't understand what was happening. She registered the look of pain and betrayal in the girl's eyes, but she couldn't get why. Only when she felt Klaus move away from her, only when she heard the words coming out of his mouth - "What are you doing here ?" - did she know there was something very wrong here. The other woman chose not to answer, but simply took a few steps forward and looked Caroline in the eye, but spoke softly, as if she didn't know how to be angry. As if she wasn't hurt.

"I'm sorry, but could I have a moment alone with my fiance, please ?"

Caroline felt like her heart fell and finished in her stomach. She felt sick. "What ?" she whispered, blankly. She looked at Klaus, whose eyes did not move from the girl.

"Ex-fiance." he stated, and extended an arm before Caroline so that she would be trapped and stay where she was. "What ?" she repeated to herself.

"I don't accept that, actually. You don't get to walk out on me. Not like this. Not ever."

Her voice was soft, pleasant. She held herself straight, fierce and proud, as if she knew all the attention fell on her wherever she went, as if she was used to it. She was gorgeous, and tall, and her eyes shined. Caroline realized, with a little pang in her now dying heart, that the two of them, the two women standing in the room, the two women competing for Klaus' attention, looked so much alike. She saw herself in Camille, even if she was sure Camille couldn't see anything past the home wrecker look Caroline would now carry with her for a long, long time.

"Camille." Klaus' low voice felt threatening to Caroline, but Camille waved it away. "Don't Camille me. We've been together for seven years, Nik. Seven years. That's a long time for you to think you can just throw it away on a passing fancy. To think that I wouldn't try to stop you. You don't get to leave for New-York, telling me you'll come back as soon as you can, that you'll come back home and that we will marry in the spring next year, and then be back after a week, one miserable, flimsy week, and – and – and just say you changed your mind !"

She was surprisingly calm, while Caroline felt fear rise in her stomach and panic travel through her veins. Her head ached, and all she wanted was to leave, but she had to lean on the wall for support. How did she get here ? How did she find herself in such a situation ? She tried to stand tall, tried not to wobble on her feet. She forced herself to breathe, in and out, slowly, as Klaus and Camille went on.

"Camille, we weren't – aren't – in love. We're _wrong_." Klaus pleaded. She scoffed.

"How can you say that, Nik ? How can you look at me and say that we are wrong ? We are not wrong ! We are just easy. We belong together. We fit. We are simple, but that doesn't mean we are not in love !"

"I don't feel love for you, Camille. I feel like you and I are just tolerating each other because we have been told to !"

"Is that how you justify your actions ? Is that what you told that poor girl, there ? She looks like she's seen a ghost, Nik, look at her."

"Leave Caroline out of it." Klaus growled.

"Is that her name ?" Camille's attention shifted from Klaus to Caroline. "I am sorry. I wish you hadn't been witness to any of this, but I couldn't stay away any longer. I couldn't stay quiet and watch him leave me without doing anything. Nik and I are getting married, I'm sure you understand my surprise in finding, well, you here."

"I didn't know." Caroline's words felt like torture out of her mouth, and Camille frowned. "What ?" she inquired, before turning back to Klaus. "You didn't tell her about me, about us?"

"I have to go." Caroline blurted out. All of these words, all of them, turned her organs to shreds. She had to leave. She straightened her dress, and took a few step forwards before Klaus grabbed her arm.

"Don't leave, Caroline. Just, wait. Please." He looked at her, but Caroline couldn't see past her own pain to register his. She yanked her arm away.

"Don't touch me. You have a fiance. You are engaged. Seven _fucking_ years, Klaus. Oh my God." she cried, half-running towards the door. She looked at Camille and whispered before leaving : "I am sorry. I am so, so sorry."

"It's not your fault, but I appreciate it." Camille smiled at her sweetly. She heard another plea from Klaus, but decided to ignore it with as much dignity as she could.

"Caroline, please."

After one last look at Klaus, Caroline turned her back on him and left the penthouse, slamming the door behind her. She couldn't go any further than the lift, though, and let herself fall to the floor, her hands covering the shout coming out of her mouth, tears running free down her cheeks.


	7. the meeting

**Judging by the mixed reviews, and a beautiful "fuck off" by a guest, some of you didn't like the latest development. Sorry ! But what love story would be magical if there was no obstacles to overcome ? But don't worry, Camille isn't here to stay. She won't be a pain in our asses. I just wanted to show that not all is always as it seemed :) **

**Also, spoiler alert : there will be no sporking. I do love your attitude, though, guest of Jan. 6 ! **

**But I couldn't make you wait too long, so here we are : chapter 7. I hope you like this one better :)**

**Thanks for all the reviews and the follows and the favourites, you guys are the best.**

* * *

><p>When Caroline came home a few hours later, Stefan looked, bewildered, at the puffy red eyes and the mascara-teared stains on her cheeks, and immediately held her tight. She stayed in his arms, unmoving, but more because she didn't have the energy to move rather than anything else. She had cried, she had shouted, she was over it. She simply felt numb, now. And stupid. She felt really, really stupid. She couldn't believe how hard she had fallen for a man she didn't know, even a little bit; and tonight had just been a reminder that, when you play with fire, you get burned.<p>

When, at last, he let her go, Stefan made her hot, sweet tea and bacon – Caroline Forbes' favorite comfort food – while she showered away all the traces of tonight. She emerged looking tired, yes, but lively and calm. Stefan sighed. "I'm sorry, Caroline."

"Don't be. You gave me good advice." She shrugged, her wet hair dripping on her shoulders. Stefan eyed her cautiously.

"What happened ?"

Caroline sat next to him, and started nibbling on the bacon. She stayed silent for a while, trying to pick her words carefully : she didn't want to sound bitter or scorned.

"He's got a girl. From London." she finally declared, and she saw Stefan close his eyes. "Fuck." Caroline nodded, and gulped down another piece of bacon. "It's fine."

"Caroline-" He came to sit next to her, putting one hand on her leg. He seemed genuinely sad for her. She shook her head.

"No, it is. It really is. Tonight was just a lapse in judgment. Tonight has no consequence, you know. We only kissed, like, twice. It's fine."

"Caroline, you don't have to pretend with me. I know how hard it is for you."

She turned to look at him, exhausted, and smiled up to reassure him, to show him she wasn't about to let it get to her head and screw her up. "Stefan, stop it. I fell for him, and instead of trying to know him better, I tried to get in his pants. Serves me right."

He chuckled. "Okay."

"What I want to do, though, is sleep, and then wake up, get ready, and go to work."

"You could take a day off. I'm sure he wouldn't dare to tell you anything."

"I don't want a day off. I love my job. He doesn't get to see me lose it."

She kissed his forehead and left him at the breakfast bar, going to her room. "He's not a bad guy, you know." She said, softly, as she put her hand on her doorknob. "He just forgot to be honest."

"Why are you giving him excuses ?"

"Because I don't want to have a bad opinion of him. I have to work with him. I can't afford to let what happened drip into my professional life."

She heard a sigh as she opened, then closed the door behind her, softly, and closed her eyes, forced herself to breathe. _You're going to be okay. You are Caroline Fucking Forbes, and you are going to be okay._ That could be her new mantra. She certainly did repeat it to herself over and over. But then again, she wasn't about to go down as anything but a fighter.

The next morning, when she finally opened her eyes, Caroline found that she had overslept a little. Or, rather, that she had snoozed through her alarm until it was irresponsible for her to snooze it one more time. And yet she ended up doing it anyway. She got up, ate what was left of yesterday's bacon, and braced herself for today.

Of course, she dressed with the same care as she did every single day, did her hair and make up with the same attention as she normally did, and tried – and failed – to ignore her heart racing in her chest. She would not give him the satisfaction, she couldn't. She had to power through, forget about humiliation and shame, and only think about tonight. Tonight was her chance to distance herself from Klaus, tonight was her chance to shine and start again as a lawyer. She only had to look like she knew what she was doing, and she would be fine. She made a mental note to check him out on Google before she met him, though. She couldn't afford to get caught with her pants down. Not today. Today, she had to show Klaus that she was over it – even if it felt like she was very much _not_ over it – and that was still an asset for the firm. She would not lose her job for this. She breathed in sharply, took her purse, and started on her way to work.

It was a relief, actually, to ride the subway that morning. Routine was good. Routine gave her a sense of knowing where she was going. Subway, Starbucks, office. Her usual journey.

When she got to his office, she found him pacing the floor. He looked worried, and tired, too. She wondered whether Camille was still in his apartment, if they had talked and gotten back together, if she had found the right words to make him forget about Caroline. Her heart gave her the now familiar pang! as she walked towards him, but her brain was unable to see past the girl from last night. She rolled her shoulders back, stood a little straighter, smoothed her outfit, silently braced herself for what was about to come, and got into his office.

"Are you trying to drill a hole in the floor ?" she asked, casually, as she put his coffee down n his desk. She made a point not to act or seem awkward around him. He, on the other hand, did not try to hide his feelings, as he flew to her once he saw that it was her.

"Caroline !"

She had to take a step backwards not to end up in his embrace, and had to take a second to compose herself when she saw his face fall and compose itself one second later. "Were you expecting anyone else ?", she inquired, rather forcibly.

Klaus tried to keep his cool, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Well, here I am."

He looked at her with sorrow in his eyes, and Caroline blushed in response, trying desperately not to meet his eyes. "Yes, here you are." He paused, unsure of what to say next. "Listen-", he started, but Caroline interrupted him abruptly. "Don't."

"No, I have to explain."

"Don't.", she repeated. "I just want to go to work."

"Caroline. Please." he pleaded, still looking right at her, and her looking anywhere but at him. Her preferred spot at the moment was his throat, with his Adam's apple moving up and down.

"Fine.", she conceded.

"I was engaged with Camille. And I was with her for seven years."

Caroline felt her heart hiccup at the mention of her name and felt sick to her stomach, but Klaus didn't seem to want to stop.

"But I didn't- I thought that I loved her. At first. I mean, she was sweet, and kind, and funny, and considerate. I've known her since I was a toddler, and she was my friend. I thought she could never do anything wrong, that she was the best of people. And when my parents said that she and I belonged together, I believed it. I thought that she would balance me out, that she would make me a better person. And when my parents told me that I should ask her to marry me, I didn't question their judgment. They knew me, and they must have known that she would love me no matter what I did. What they didn't know is, even though I tried, so hard, for years, to love her like she loved me, it never clicked. But I did it for them. There isn't much I wouldn't do for my family, and it seemed like a small price to pay in return for everything they had done for me."

When Klaus stopped talking, Caroline's heart was muted by her anger and indignation for Camille. "Oh, my God.", she exclaimed, "Is that supposed to make me feel better about you ? This is horrifying. You've strung her along for seven years ?"

"No. I felt something for her in the beginning of our relationship. And I still like her, she's my friend."

"She's not your friend, Klaus ! That girl was in love with you – is in love with you. You can't dismiss her like that." Caroline's hands formed fists as she tried to contain her emotions, tried not to start yelling at her boss in his own office. Opposite her, though, Klaus looked like he wanted nothing but for her to show how she felt.

"My point is, Caroline, I broke up with her. It's earned me nothing but resentment and anger from her, her parents, my parents, but I did it. I did it because I wanted to be able to kiss you. To hold you. To – to be with you."

Caroline scoffed, and her voice rose dangerously. "Oh, is this the part where I say thank you ? Do you even hear yourself ? I can't believe that I fell for you." She turned around, closing her eyes, covering her forehead with one hand.

"You fell for me ?" His voice was small, full of surprise, but Caroline only snickered.

"Yes. Hard. And I landed on my ass."

"I fell for you, too. Which is why I had to break up with Camille. Which is why I left for London so quickly. I didn't want anything to happen between us while I was with her."

Caroline was bewildered. "Again, am I supposed to say thank you ?"

"No. Just, stop. Look at me and tell me that we can fix this."

"Yes, we can." She turned her head and looked at him – well, his chest, to be precise-. "You can help me. Do you have any advice for my meeting with Mason Lockwood tonight ?"

"Caroline, I didn't mean-"

"Just answer the damn question."

"Caroline, look at me."

Caroline closed her eyes, pursed her lips, trying to breathe normally. "Fine", she told him, re-opening her eyes, "if you don't want to help, I'll manage on my own." She had to pass by him to get back to her desk, and he took advantage of that fact. He put his hand on her stomach, and Caroline couldn't help but gasp. The sudden touch sent shudders to her spine, to her stomach. "Please, look at me." Klaus whispered, and he was so close that Caroline felt his breath on her ear. In a moment of pure folly, she put her hand on his, reveling how soft, how strong he felt against her.

"I can't look at you,", she whispered back. "because if I do, then I will forget everything you did and said. If I do, I know I will end up believing you or – or – kissing you, or something far worse. So, no. I can't look at you right now."

She pushed him aside as softly as she could, and went back to her desk, leaving Klaus standing in his office, oblivious to everything else but her.

Caroline did her best not to be distracted by Klaus, even though all she wanted to do was to go back in his office and tell him what she was really thinking. What she was really feeling. Tell him that she wanted to kick his ass from here to Sunday, then kiss him, hard, and tell him to choose carefully, because she wouldn't wait for him forever. Was she waiting, though ? Or was she as lost as him ? She did not like to be left in the dark, not knowing what was going on or where she was going, but first, she needed to calm down. She needed to know how she truly, really felt for him. If she could let him go, if indeed she was holding him at all.

Stefan seemed to know she needed support, and texted her every few hours to let her know he was right there, on the other side of the phone. She loved him for it, and couldn't wait to be back to him tonight. But first, she had to get through today, as if nothing of importance happened. As if she was okay. She made calls, saw people, honored her previous engagements, filled and filed paperwork, studied Mason Lockwood's business, its history, its value, its future, and then his person, to be sure she had all the cards in hand. She got busy, and actually did more work than she had in a week. Probably because she wasn't distracted, most likely because she needed to be distracted. She was as civil as she could to Klaus, though, bringing him clients and messages and updates and coffee, but she couldn't quite look at him in the eye yet. She already felt her anger diminish just by being in the same room as him, and she had to force her brain into remembering Camille, and the look on her face when she saw her fiance kissing Caroline. It was all too easy to forget and go back to fascination. She had to be careful, didn't she ?

So, when six o'clock came around, she was relieved she could leave early. She tidied up her desk, took her purse, and headed towards Klaus' office to tell him she was leaving for the meeting. He looked at her, but she still couldn't. She simply looked at his tie, wishing herself to be strong and not give anything away.

"Are you going to be okay ? I can go, if you're not up to it."

She knew that Klaus only wanted to help, but she scoffed, piqued to her pride. "And take away my silver lining ? Absolutely not."

"Your silver lining ?" He frowned.

"Yes. The one good thing that will come out of today."

She had turned around, showing him her back, and stopped dead in her tracks as she heard him sweetly say : "I still want to talk, Caroline." She stood there, silent, unable to find words until they came out of her like water. "I know. And I want to talk, too. Just give me some time."

After she had come home, Caroline spent the rest of her remaining hour stressing out about her meeting. She wasn't sure of what was expected of her, and it threw her off her game. Was she supposed to dazzle him ? Make him feel superior ? Challenge him ? Was she supposed to dress nice, or casual ? She really wished she could call Klaus for help, but she was already too anxious, there was no need to add more fuel to the fire. In the end, she chose a black, chic, lacy dress that hugged her knees and showed off her figure without revealing anything or being distasteful. She kept her hair down, falling in her usual waves, and only refresh her make-up. She didn't want to be over the top.

She found herself at the restaurant a few minutes early – she had ridden in a cab again, loving the fact that she could afford to now, and also because she was too lazy to look up what subway would get her there – but it was already packed with what seemed like hipster-type twenty-somethings. And she soon found out that she was overdressed for the occasion, which didn't help her nerves. But it seemed nice, too. A bit too New-York to her taste, but at least they could chat properly without having to yell or fearing they could be heard. That was definitely a plus. On the other side, the tables seemed really small, and almost intimate. Maybe she had been right to show none of her bodily assets. Maybe he just wouldn't have been interested. _Damn. I should have let Klaus do this. It would have been fun_. The waiters all seemed occupied, so she scanned the restaurant for Mason Lockwood herself. Thank god she had remembered to look him up on the internet before she came. She found him at a table in the back, talking on the phone, a huge grin plastered on his face. She breathed out, slowly, and strut towards him.

In the corner of his eye, Mason saw her walk to him, and turned to watch her. His mouth fell into a perfect 'o', and he stared at her. _Maybe I am his type after all_, Caroline thought to herself as she smiled at him.

"Hi. I'm Caroline Forbes, from Mikaelson&Mikaelson. We spoke on the phone yesterday."

"I'll be damned." He had a rich, fruity voice that made her feel warm. "You are Caroline Forbes ?"

"Yes, and the person you're on the phone with must be wondering why you've stopped talking to them."

After a hushed "I'll call you back", Mason gave her his undivided attention, and motioned for her to sit opposite him. He studied her for a second or two before asking her how old she was.

"What has that got to do with anything ?" Caroline screwed up her eyes a little at the question.

"I want to know if the scenarios in my head in which I try and woo you off your feet are inappropriate or not."

She chuckled, trying not to show that she would rather be dating the salt and pepper shakers than him."It doesn't matter whether I'm twenty or eighty, Mr Lockwood. We're not here to flirt."

"That's a damn shame if you ask me." He had this easy, out going smile on his face, but Caroline didn't feel its warmth.

"What I do mean to ask you, though, is why are you asking for our services ? You already have a lawyer."

He waved her question off, and instead asked for two glasses of bourbon on the rocks. He only talked to her again after he had gotten his first sip.

"So. You are Tyler's girl." he declared, taking her completely by surprise. She laughed a little, crossing her legs.

"I am a lawyer, and I'm not here to talk about Tyler." She drank her bourbon in one sip, giving herself some courage not to be rude.

"But you are."

"You're not going to stop, are you ?"

"Nope."

"Well, then. In that case, I brought the paperwork,you can just sign it, and-"

"Hang on. I need to know if you are good, first."

"Oh, I am. Just ask your nephew."

Mason Lockwood stared at her for a second, then bellowed with laughter, throwing his head backwards. He looked so lively that even Caroline was in a good mood, and decided to tease him a little more. After all, he seemed like the kind of man that would enjoy it, and who also liked being challenged. He seemed like a relaxed, carefree man with – if what she had read and heard was true – a sharp sense of business and decision. She could appeal to all those things. She could get him to choose her. She smiled, and raised an eyebrow.

"And, for the record, I am not 'Klaus' assistant', or 'Tyler's girl'. My name is Caroline. I am a person. Surely you've heard of those."

"Oh, I had. But I had never heard a lawyer talking to me like that. It's really refreshing."

"You should see how she talks to her boss."

Caroline froze. The voice, coming from behind her, left her shaking with anger as Mason stood and extended him his hand. "Mikaelson !" he boomed. "I was worried you had left me alone with this little devil. She looks like she could eat me alive."

"And spit you back out, too. She's a tough young prodigy.", he said, as he sat down, glancing at her with nothing but sweetness in his eyes. She grit her teeth and forced herself to smile as she responded.

"And she's going to smack you both if you keep talking like she isn't there."

Mason showed her all his teeth as he smiled up at her, sitting down after ordering another glass for Klaus, who was too busy staring at Caroline to notice anything else. She, herself, could not look at him. Not right now. She was way too mad for that. But she hid it, trying to anchor herself in the here and now.

"Where did he find you ? Because I want one of you, too."

"Well, that's easy. You want a lawyer, I am a lawyer, boom. You have me."

"That is the best argument I've heard yet. Let's order."

Caroline hid behind her menu, trying to avoid glancing up at Klaus, who was sitting uncomfortably close to her. So close, in fact, that she could feel his warmth, smell his cologne, and, if she moved her leg, she could touch his easily. As she realized all of this, she felt her heart start to beat a little stronger, a little faster. _Concentrate !_ she admonished herself. She had to focus all her attention to the man in front of her, not the one besides. Thankfully for her, Mason was something of a chatterbox, and, since Caroline loved to talk, the two of them found themselves chatting through most of dinner. When dessert arrived – Caroline had been so close to ordering two due to her wrecked nerves and never-ending gluttony – Klaus stirred the conversation back to the firm. It had been wonderfully done, and so subtly than even Caroline had been tricked. She couldn't help but glance at him, and even gawk at him as discreetly as she could. He looked so passionate when he talked about the firm that she forgot she was mad at him for a few minutes. She felt her heart swell up with pride before she could catch herself and shake it off. She still had to sell her skills to Lockwood, and she still had to dazzle him. She took advantage of a gap in the discussion to do so, smiling and gesturing to make her point, and even opened herself up to Klaus to try and get him on her side. It seemed to work, too, since Klaus built her up and wouldn't stop complimenting her work. She walked out of the restaurant having secured another meeting, but this time, Mason Lockwood was going to come to the office, and they would talk seriously about working together. All in all, it had been a good night, even in the midst of all the crappy things surrounding it. She was calling a taxi when she felt Klaus next to her, leaning against a telephone pole.

"Well, now that you are a proper lawyer, you're going to need an office."

"What's wrong with my desk ?"

"Nothing. You just can't receive anyone, and you're about to need to."

Caroline smiled to herself. "Yeah. That's kind of awesome."

"You deserve it."

She faced him, frowned. "Then why are you here ? You didn't think I could do it ?"

"Caroline -"

"Stop Caroline-ing me ! Just answer the question, for fuck's sake."

"I came because I knew this would be the only way of getting you to interact with me instead of at me."

"Oh, wow. You really are desperate."

"Please, talk to me."

"Okay, enough. You want me to say something ? Fine, here it is. You're not going to come to the firm tomorrow. You're ill, and you want to work from home. If you want me to think about all of this, us, what happened yesterday, I need time. I need space. I can't think straight when you're around me."

"I don't want you to think straight. I want you to think me."

Caroline froze for a second, then laughed out loud. "That was really bad."

"This is what it's come to." He smiled, and took a step closer. Caroline felt so nice after the dinner that she let him, but shot him a warning look. "Klaus -" she started, but was interrupted.

"Caroline !" She heard Bekah's call before she saw her. "Stefan told me where you were, and-"

She saw Rebekah's face fall when Klaus turned around and called her. "Rebekah ?" he frowned, and she replied, her voice barely more than a whisper. "Nik." Caroline's heart stopped dead in its tracks. It took her a second before she realized what was happening. "Wait." she exclaimed, "You two know each other ?"

"She's my little sister."

"Okay, wow. This is just not my week, surprises-wise." Caroline closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

"What are you doing here, Rebekah ?" Klaus wondered out loud, and his sister's voice was filled with distrust when she answered.

"I came to help my friend with her heartbreak."

"Hey !" Caroline barked. "First of all, my heart is not broken. Let me just put that out there. And two, you're family ? Did you know he was engaged ?"

Rebekah opened and closed her mouth before she could speak. Caroline felt like someone had just punch her in the stomach, and she took one step backwards. "Oh, my God. You knew." Caroline looked at Rebekah as if she was a stranger. "You knew about Camille and you didn't tell me ?" She had taken a few more steps back, and she looked from Rebekah to Klaus, not knowing what to do next.

"Caroline, I didn't think that I -" Bekah pleaded, but Caroline couldn't let her finish.

"You knew that I liked him. I told you I – I told you everything. And you didn't even mention it !"

"I didn't think that you would act on it ! I thought that you wouldn't because of your job."

"Oh my God." Caroline run her hand through her hair, shocked at the revelation. "And what's your excuse for not telling me about the fact that Klaus is your brother ?"

"I told you, we're not close. I didn't want you to treat me differently if you knew I was a Mikaelson."

"You have excuses for everything, don't you ? Oh, my God. I can't believe this. I can't believe the two of you."

She turned around and started to walk away from them, and, when they both called after her, she only shrugged and shouted : "Just stay away from me."

The whole journey back was a blur. Caroline had so many thoughts racing through her head that she felt dizzy. She was unable to rest, since she discovered another surprise waiting for her at home. Both Tyler and Stefan were waiting in the living room, and both smiled at her like she could break any second when she entered the room. "Seriously ?", she snapped.

Stefan handed her a cup of tea. "I called him. And Rebekah. I thought you might need back-up."

Caroline sneered. "Oh, I saw Rebekah."

"Where is she ? She said she'd meet you at the restaurant." Stefan still held the cup that Caroline didn't glance at, and frowned.

"She's still there, as far as I know. She's with her brother. My boss."

"What ?" they both cried.

"Hey, I had the same reaction !" Caroline shrugged.

"Klaus is her brother ?" Tyler exclaimed, bewildered too. Caroline, who was taking off her shoes, looked up, frowning.

"How do you know Klaus ?"

"Stefan filled me in on the details."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Oh. Great."

"I told you, I thought you might need help getting over him. Some friends to ease your heartbreak." Stefan put down the mug as Caroline boomed.

"Oh, please. I am not heartbroken ! This isn't heart break, okay ? It was shocking, and awful, but I've known the guy for two bloody minutes. This isn't love. This is infatuation. I'll be fine. I _feel_ fine already ! So, both of you, stop hovering me."


	8. the change in point of vue

**Here we are ! Chapter 8, oh my God. In a little over a month, I have gotten so much love from you guys, I can't believe it. Thank you so freaking much.**

**Spork Guest, I love you. Don't you ever change. **

**Goldenhummingbird, you gave me the biggest smile ever as I read you reading me !**

**Tippy093 & SweetyK, thank you for following this story since the beginning. **

**All of you are seriously amazing. **

**And, as a thank you, this chapter will be loooong (longer than usual anyway) AND we are gaining a little perspective as we will be seeing things from Klaus' POV :)) Hopefully, this will give you some reasons to like him again and some reasons to root for him !**

**Sorry that I took a little longer than usual to deliver a new chapter.**

**I hope you enjoy the read and don't forget to tell me what you think :)**

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><p>This office was big. Too big for only one person, at any rate. The desk alone was massive, but the room also contained a couch, chairs, a bookshelf that took an entire pan of wall, and a table, big enough for four. Niklaus felt dizzy. That certainly was a step up from his own office, back in London. He wondered what his mother would say when she discovered where his father had put him. He also wondered why she volunteered to come home and pushed him to take her place. He didn't remember her saying one bad thing about New-York, or spending time away from her awful husband. He sighed. It wouldn't do to think about <em>that<em> on his first day as the managing partner of Mikaelson&Mikaelson alongside his mama's boy of an elder brother Finn – who, surprisingly, did not follow Esther -. Nor would it help to think of how jet-lagged he was, considering he had only arrived on U.S. land yesterday evening. He hadn't been able to sleep, despite his body's apparent fatigue, his brain was restless. He had tossed and turned all night, thinking about how grateful he was to be out of the mess he had gotten himself in, only if temporarily. Thank God he had been able to convince Camille – sweet, gentle Camille who smelled like rain and vanilla – that getting married in the spring would be better than to rush the organization of her perfect day just to marry at the end of the summer. Maybe next year, he'd be ready. Maybe next year, he'd discover her in a white gown, so in love and so beautiful that it'd change everything. Lord knows how Klaus wanted that. Because then maybe, he wouldn't feel like such a horrible person.

He was a coward, pure and simple, a man unable to look at the girl who loved him and tell her the ugly truth. _I am only marrying you because my father ordered me to. I don't love you, yet. _He wanted to, he really did. He adored little Camille, who had been his playmate as a child and with whom he could have the best conversations, but he just wasn't in love with her. And yet, every time that he took his courage and decided to tell her, she looked at him with her big eyes as if he were the sun, and he'd lose all his nerve. The ugly truth was that he didn't want her to be unhappy now, even if it meant that she would be unhappy later, when they had a few kids and that Klaus was slowly turning into his father. The thought made him shudder, but he knew he couldn't help it : it was in his genes, it was what made him him. Even if he didn't like it, Klaus was very much his Father's son. Much more so than any of his brothers. But Klaus really did care for Camille. He wanted nothing more than to see her happy. And since she didn't seem to care about their shortcomings – i.e, their lack of charisma, sexual relationship or that Klaus just didn't try to connect with her on an emotional level –, he figured that she was fine with all of it. She cuddled with him when they sat next to each other – which wasn't often -, fell asleep next to him, made him breakfast in the morning, closed her eyes when he kissed her on the forehead before going to work, and looked, throughout all of it, blissfully happy. And he loved seeing her like this, even though a small part of him whispered whenever he wanted to listen that she would be happier still, is she could be with someone who loved her like she loved him.

He shook his head, trying to get back to the here and now. He had to get through today, and then through tomorrow. Given time, he hoped to figure it all out. He sat on his mother's chair, breathing in and out as deeply as he could, feeling utterly uncomfortable. He supposed that that what Esther had wanted. Make him feel as awful as possible, lonely and bored, to have him come back home, tail between his legs. That would be his punishment for telling her truth of how he felt towards Camille.

"You're not Esther."

The sharp accusation surprised him, and he looked up to see whose silvery voice it was. He froze when he identified the owner, a tall, blond girl with a tacky orange t-shirt. He gulped, trying not to stare, but she had made it incredibly difficult. Lust punched him in the stomach, rendering him speechless, and he knew that he had to know her. In every sense of the word. To know who she was. Legs, legs, legs. She was all legs. Or maybe it was just her tight skirt, designed to make him believe she was a giant – he wondered how she was able to breathe – or maybe the shoes. He couldn't tell, and he really didn't care. But he could tell he had been gaping at her, since, when he finally remembered to stand and shake her hand, he recognized disdain and anger in her deep blue eyes Damn. He could already tell that he would never be indifferent to her, and that she could shake him at his core. Shake his all life. "That's an acute observation." He decided to be a sport, to let her vent, be herself. He smiled – he couldn't help it – more and more as the girl in front of him, one Caroline Forbes, kept delivering sassy comment after sassy comment. He loved, instantly, the fight that he saw in her, the pride, the self-esteem. He couldn't relate to it – he was much more of a do-as-you're-told kind of guy – but he found it beautiful.

None of those prepared him from what he felt as they shook hands, though. He gasped before he realized what he was doing, and a shock wave took over his entire upper body. He shivered, and was relieved to see her take back her hand from his. God knows he wouldn't have been able to. He had, of course, been physically attracted to other women before, of course he had. But never like this. Never at this potency. Never had a woman been able to take his breath away with only her words and her looks. And it was – exhilarating. So refreshing. He watched as she launched herself in a rant, unable to look away from her, unable to control this warm feeling of happiness creeping up from his stomach to the tip of his fingers.

All these happy feelings, however, were short lived. They both got surprised by the amount and intensity of their work – it was her first day, too – and they had no other chance to interact all day. Only when she came up to say good night was he able to look up and take a breath. He felt more tired than he could have ever thought he could be, and yet he still had a few things to take care of before he could think of going back to that cold, anonymous hotel room. He hadn't had the courage to sleep in his mother's condo, to look upon her new and improved life here in the States. He'd much rather sleep in nobody's sheets, act like he saw nothing than to witness first hand the disintegration of his family. A mother working in the States, following her only daughter who had wanted a shot at a 'normal' life, and followed by her eldest son, who had, until then, been the shining star in Mikael's own firm in London, a father disappointed in his middle child, finding him severally lacking in all departments and who turn to his youngest son for hope, but, unfortunately for him, said son preferred spending money on beautiful women rather than earning it, and spent his time in exotic, tropical countries, away from London's grim weather. Only Elijah, son number two, held his own, but even he wanted to do nothing with his father unless he had too. Hence the lovely atmosphere that filled all of their family gatherings where no one listened, but everyone talked. It didn't really make for an uplifting childhood, but Klaus couldn't complain. He had had money, he had had opportunity and education. He had never been alone, that is, until he surrounded himself with Camille's love.

He sighed, rubbed his eyes, and went back to work. He tried to, at least, but he kept seeing a certain blond before his eyes. She had made a great impression on him, and he knew he had to be careful, or else she would have him on his knees.

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><p>He tried his footing, that week, tried to find his own pace, figure out what kind of boss he wanted to be. Unfortunately for him, and for Caroline – who seemed to stick with him through all of it anyway – he had to put those ideas aside when a sea of clients, deadlines, associates, junior and senior partners crushed him against his chair. He was assailed with never ending reunions and meeting where everyone had something to say but didn't seem to want to listen. His temper was too short to bear it all gracefully, and he found himself taking it out on Caroline more than once. He admonished himself for it as soon as he'd get to his office, but a new problem rose every time that he had tried to apologize. She was gifted, and hard working and passionate, and all of these things got to him ad connected them together. He recognized and respected her for it, and tried to give her as much responsibility as he could. He knew she wouldn't thank him for it, but she would get valuable lessons out of all of it. And he thought that she could just be it, an esteemed colleague with whom he loved to work, but it turned out that he had been wrong about that. The thought of her followed him everywhere, and filled him with a serenity that he felt hard to describe. Like he had found what he had been missing. He didn't like it, he certainly didn't welcome it, but he couldn't ignore it. Whenever he would close his eyes, she would be there with him. When he talked to Camille, it was Caroline he saw. She was there, all smiles and sass and legs, and she wrapped him around her finger with her natural ease, her brutal honesty, her can-do attitude. She was fierce, and proud, and she knew what she was worth. And when she put up with his constant mood swings, she sometimes seemed to enjoy it.<p>

He couldn't help it, he was staring at her. He found himself staring at her more often than was good for both of them, but he liked looking at her when she thought no one would. When she chewed her pens and licked her lips, when she frowned as she read an incredibly boring document, and the little cry of victory she had when she finished it. But tonight's reaction to her phone made him grimace. She smiled a big, foolish grin he had never seen her with as she looked at her phone. He frowned, and was up on his feet and walking to her before he understood what he was doing. She almost bumped into him, but he stabilized her by putting his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay ?" Touching her was magical, and he couldn't snap out of it. It was as if he was in some sort of trance, being able to only see her. The whole conversation, if he was honest, he couldn't recall, blinded as he was by a jealousy he couldn't recognize. But he remembered the piercing pain he felt when she mentioned his name : Stefan.

He watched her leave for the week-end, but stayed glued to where he was standing. He didn't know what he had been expecting, really, a girl like that, smart, funny, and so, so strong – how could she _not_ have anyone to go home to ? But this hurt didn't go away, even after a few drinks back at home – he had found, luckily, a duplex in Manhattan that he loved - and even after he had a heated argument with himself saying it was much better this way. And then, he realized that he was talking to himself, and that scared him a little.

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><p>Camille had called him, that night, and his mother, too. Both begged him to come home, but for very different reasons. Esther's patience with his father was already starting to get very thin, and she knew he was a genius at negotiations – yes, that was exactly what was asked of him in that situation – and that he would be able to calm them down. Camille, on the other hand, just missed him and wanted to see him. He rejected the idea at first, very unhappy at the prospect of having to leave New-York for London, a city he adored, but filled only with people he despised. And then it clicked. If he was feeling so horrible at the idea of going home, then there was a serious problem with his life, and with his choices. It meant he had to make a change, or else he would be feeling this exact way for the rest of his life. He realized that he hadn't smiled, really smiled, in a long, long time. And that it wasn't fair to impose this on the sweetest girl he had ever known. He was going to go home to London, and he was going to make a change.<p>

Now, of course, leaving the country, even for a few days, meant that he would have to leave Finn in charge. He hated that idea as much as his brother hated the fact that they had to be partners and share their mother's attention, but he didn't have much of a choice. He would leave a few things for Caroline to do, too, of course : she needed her chance to shine as well. So, in the early Sunday morning, Klaus took all he needed for his journey, closed his door behind him, and walked – the streets were empty but the sun already up – to the office. He didn't expect to find anyone there, and was dumbfounded when he met Finn, who intended on ignoring him as much as he could. Klaus didn't mind it, preferring to work in total silence. Plus, he had so many things to do before catching his flight this evening that he didn't have time to worry about Finn. He did, however, have time to see Caroline. Or, rather, he didn't. But he made some anyway.

He met her at a charming little café in Little Italy, where she was lounging under this fine late May sun. She looked absolutely glowing in the sunlight, and Klaus' heart stopped dead in its tracks. He had to take a second before he could breathe normally again and sit at her table. She was hungover, she said, but she was pleasant and funny. Conversation – and flirting, Klaus soon found – came easily to them, and not an awkward moment passed between them. Klaus forgot about everything else but Caroline, that afternoon. And when she laughed in his face that she was not actually dating Stefan, he felt so light he could float away. She didn't fight his decision to leave her in charge – well, almost in charge – and, even if she hid it under fear and humility, he could tell she had been dying for an opportunity like this since she had decided to become a lawyer, probably even before then. And trouble only found them at the end of the day, when he walked by her side before leaving for the airport. She had asked him about London, which had made him shut up completely. He didn't want Caroline to know about his worst self, and all of the things that came with it. He only wanted her to see the man he was when he was in New-York, when he was next to her. He couldn't handle this wonderful person knowing all the wrong choices he had made, all the wrong things he had done. Maybe, one day, but not yet. He wasn't ready.

She had been wounded by his reaction, and instead of sulking in her corner, she had had the guts to ask him what was wrong. Klaus, who had been raised in a family where everyone was okay and nobody was ever honest, was shocked beyond words. It was at this moment, her face resting between his fingers, her face only inches away from his, that he realized that he wanted to be with her. That she would make him a better person. That she would balance him out. That she might be the person he desperately needed to be set right. This realization took his breath away, and he almost gasped.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Caroline."

These words came out of him easily, but the rest stayed lodged in his throat. He stared at her, taking in her beauty, her strength, looking at the colors dancing in her eyes. He watched, mesmerized, as he felt her take a step towards him, and as he tilted her face up so that he could – finally – kiss her. He wanted to, but he didn't deserve it, and that was the only thing that kept him from sweeping her off her feet. He needed to think about Camille at a time when he could only think about Caroline, about how her lips would feel against his, about her soft, peach skin that beckoned for his touch, of her long, blond curls he wanted to run his fingers through. But he quietly thanked God for the car that separated them.

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><p>On the plane to London, Klaus had nothing but time on his hands. He tried to work, but nothing he read stuck up. He tried to sleep, but the feel of Caroline's face under his fingertips burned him. And when he tried thinking of home, only she appeared to him. In the end, he rubbed his nose with two fingers, listening to whatever boring movie they showed during the flight, and forced himself not to think about anything. No one was waiting for him at the airport, but it didn't bother him : he'd at least have a few more minutes to think about what he wanted to say to Camille. He was sure he'd find her at Mikaelson House – yes, seriously – and so asked the driver to take him there first. He didn't look forward to seeing it again, nor did he look forward to seeing his parents. He wondered whether Elijah was home, if Esther had also called Finn and Kol home. Or even Rebekah. It was strange to be into familiar territory and yet know nothing of what would await him on the other side of the doors. He took a deep breath, tried to concentrate on anything else beside Caroline's face between his hands, and opened the doors to his past.<p>

He immediately heard Kol's laughter echoing a girl's whimper, and Elijah reprimanding him. He was home. He followed the sound, feeling a familiar anger starting to warm his stomach, and leaned on the wall at the entrance of the living room, unwilling to take a step further.

"Nik !"

The ringing, plummy voice – Camille's – attacked him and she threw herself at him. He hugged her back, kissing the top of her head. "Hi.", he said, "Is my brother annoying you ?" Kol laughed, and even Klaus smiled in Camille's hair. She was like a damsel who was constantly in distress, and he her white knight who was bored of rescuing her, but yet did it every time.

"It's nice to see you, big brother." Kol playfully hit his arm, and Klaus gave him a fake glare.

"Niklaus, welcome back."

Behind them, Esther greeted her son with warmth, but didn't try to take him in his arm. She simply extended her hand towards her study, and invited him to follow her. After one more kiss to Camille's head, Klaus detached himself from her and walked behind his mother, her heels clacking against the marble floors, body completely rigid from head to toe. His mother was a noble woman, and it carried in everything she did, the way she spoke, how she held her head. He had witnessed Camille – who was the youngest daughter of an earl – trying to imitate her, and found it adorable. He, himself, could not see the appeal; he much preferred the easy, unaffected manners of a miss Caroline Forbes. He shook his head and closed the door behind him. His mother sat by the fire, handing him a glass of brandy.

"We did not know if you were coming. Poor Camille was in such a state."

Klaus stayed quiet, drinking his brandy down in one gulp. He would need some courage for that conversation. He waited for his mother to frown and reproach him something, but she only looked up at him with soft eyes. "How is New-York ?"

"Do you miss it ?" He finally asked, after letting silence settle in between them.

"I do, yes. But I am more than grateful to be home to my sons."

"Is Kol living here again ?"

"Yes, he is. Your father was very adamant about him going to Oxford."

Klaus snickered in his drink. "A 'come home or you're cut off' deal, I imagine. Kol must have loved it."

"Niklaus,you are hiding something from me." Esther faced him, stared in his eyes, and Klaus had to fight not to lower his gaze. "Mother, I -"

"Why do you believe I sent you to New-York, Niklaus ?"

"To set me straight."

"Yes, and no. I wanted you to take your time, away from here, from your father's control, and think about what you wanted to do with the rest of your life." His mother rose in front of the incredulous look he gave her. He was so sure she had wanted to punish him. "You are still very young, my son," she continued, "even if you do not believe it so. You have a long road ahead of you. If you wish to take that journey, content of being your father's playtoy, then I shall say nothing more on the matter."

"I cannot believe it, Mother. Are you actually trying to separate us from our father ? Only two years ago did you implore with him that I marry Camille and work for him, under his supervision. You spent my entire life trying to con us to do whatever he wanted."

"I realize that, Niklaus. And I deeply regret it. But now, it is time for all of us to make a choice. Continue on under his tyranny, or free ourselves and end up with nothing but what we have in our pockets."

"Are you all right, Mother ?"

"I am. But my stay in New-York has made me very aware that none of us are happy, except maybe your sister. She has made that choice a long time ago, and she is successful, and strong. My children should all have that." She had looked at the fire burning in her fireplace, the dancing flames reflecting in her eyes, but she now looked at him, maintaining eye contact. "Tell me, my son. Do you wish to marry Camille, and try to make her happy every day for the rest of her life ?"

Klaus thought that saying it out loud would never be easy, that the words would be stuck in his throat. Instead, the answer was said before his mother finished her sentence. "I don't, Mother. I really don't."

He saw her breathe in and out deeply, closing her eyes. She whispered in the oppressive silence. "I do not believe you should, either. She is not the woman for you." Klaus gasped, gaping at his mother. Never in a million years would he have believed she could utter such a thing. And yet, here they were, the two of them standing in her study, with only the crackling of the fire to defuse the heavy atmosphere. He couldn't believe it. It changed nothing, in the end, but it was nice to have her on his side.

"Thank you.", he finally uttered, putting down his glass. "But I do have one more request."

"Tell me.", Esther stated monotonously. He could tell that she was dreading what would come next, what would happen once Klaus told his father of his plans.

"I want to go back to New-York. I want to still work there."

"I do believe that you should. I will come back eventually, but until then, I am happy to know my firm in his your and your brother's capable hands."

He nodded, and walked back out of her office. He knew he was letting her with plenty of things to worry about, but she believed he could make it work on his own. That was more than enough for him.

His conversation with Camille, however, did not go so well.

When, after dinner that night and after they had retired to Camille's room – their room, she assured him more than once -, Klaus sat her down to talk, her behavior changed entirely. He hadn't even started talking, but she latched onto his shirt and started weeping softly. "Something's wrong", she told him, "I can tell."

"Camille, I'm sorry."

"Don't say it. Please, Nik, don't."

"I don't think we should get married."

She gasped softly and closed her eyes. Tears sprang free and rolled down her cheeks, and he felt powerless and shameful to cause her so much pain. "We tried," he continued, "but-"

"No, Nik. _I _tried. You just stood there waiting for the messiah."

She didn't sound angry or even hurt, but kept this monotonous voice that irritated him to no end. He stood up, forcing her to let go of him. "So you see, I'm not the man for you, Camille."

"But you are ! I know it. We belong together."

He shook his head, laughing sadly. "No, we don't."

"Don't do this to me, Nik. I am no one without you."

"And don't you see how wrong this is ? You are a person. You should be someone on your own. You can't live through me. And God knows I can't live through you." He came back to the couch, took her hands in his own. "Camille, I adore you. But I've made up my mind : I really cannot marry you and be at peace with myself. You'd grow to resent me for it, too."

"I would never-"

"Yes, Camille. You would." He kissed her forehead. "I'm so, so sorry."

Monday and Tuesday, he spent avoiding Camille and his father as much as he could. He went back to his flat in Central London to start packing everything he would need for a long term stay in New-York, ran for miles around Hyde Park and Queens Park, met his little brother for drinks down at the local pub, purposefully not staring at his phone, wishing a certain American to call him. He dialed her number once or twice, but stopped himself before actually calling her. What would he say ? _Hey, London is shit without you, I wish you were here. Hey, I wish I was in New-York right now so that we could see each other. Hey, I miss you. Hey, girl I've met only a week ago, I think I'm falling in love with you._ He typed all of these on his phone, but never mastered the courage to sent them, probably because they seemed utterly ridiculous, maybe because she'd be certain to file a complaint for sexual harassment. After she cracked his nuts with her fingers, that is. But they still sat there, on his phone, like little reminders of how she changed his life. So, when Wednesday rolled around, he took his return ticket, kissed his mother's cheek, and left his hometown without regrets, without looking back.

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><p>New-York City. He had only been gone since Sunday, but he had missed it. The smell, the noise, the people, the atmosphere. The girl. He smiled to himself as he got into a cab. He couldn't wait to go back to the office, but first, he had to put down his things, change, and find himself an excuse for being back this early. She would probably believe it's because he doesn't trust her, and he really couldn't tell her that he had been back from breaking up with a woman he didn't really care for because he couldn't get her out of his head.<p>

He found her – his heart skipped a beat – on her desk, eyes closed, muttering to herself. She looked incredibly beautiful and incredibly pissed at something. He tried a soft approach to try and not get bitten, even though he might not actually mind if she did.

"I have food."

She looked up and appeared to melt on the desktop. "Oh, thank God."

He had gotten her something warm to eat, firstly because he had felt idiotic when he thought that he came back empty-handed, and secondly because she probably had forgotten to eat anything while he was away – she did it often, even when he reminded her, which was pretty much every day – and he didn't want to see her sick. She beamed up at him, and Klaus felt something that he hadn't felt since Sunday afternoon when he left her : alive. Their friendly banter and not so friendly flirting really helped, either. He went back to work serene and happy. Unfortunately for him, that feeling soon past when he saw the amount of work he had to do before things would go back to normal. Even if he was lucky, he would be here until very late that evening. Caroline left around seven, but not before she informed him that she had had a date. Well, not before he heard that she had had a date.

There he was, breaking up with Camille because he couldn't think of anyone but her – yes, okay, she was only _part_ of the equation, but still – and she was going out with a certain Tyler. He felt his stomach turn, and his blood boiled in his veins. He had spent the afternoon picturing all the different ways he wanted to kill whoever had touched his Caroline – yes, his; he was irrational and he knew it -, trying not to let it show, even if he had almost shouted at Caroline. But he had too many things to do to waste time making plans to kill some guy, and he soon dove back into work.

When Caroline came to him before she left, he was over it. Somewhat. He was still pissed, but not at her. At himself. He had no right to expect anything from her but good work. And she did deliver, in that department. He couldn't help but feel jealous that someone else might be making her feel all the things he was feeling for her. He wanted Caroline to be his. He wanted her to see him. But he let her go, tried to stay cool, tried, very hard, to get things back to the way they were before he left.

She wouldn't let him, apparently. It was late, and he was still at work when she came back to the office, sporting the biggest grin he had ever seen on her face. He himself was so happy he could have just melted, right there and then. She had brought him pizza and a 'make your own bed out of a couch' kit that had him smiling like and idiot. He could have kissed her a hundred times over, but what pushed him over the edge was when she told him that the bartender was actually not her boyfriend. Klaus wondered whether the guy was blind to everything that was good for him, or if he just didn't care. In any case, Caroline was single. And she came back. That was enough for him.

He must have pushed her too hard, though, because she changed the topic to work as soon as she got the chance. It is wasn't for her blushing and the little looks she shot him when he looked elsewhere, Klaus would have thought that that was actually the only reason she came back.

That night, she left in a hurry, holding back tears, and left Klaus puzzled and uncomfortable. He spent the whole night tossing and turning in his bed, wondering what he had done wrong, hoping that they could talk in the morning. Unfortunately for him, she had other plans. She made a big display in gushing over her boyfriend – was he ? Was he not ? Klaus was too confused to understand what was going on with her – and then left without saying a word.

Confusion led to anger, and Klaus barely opened his mouth all day. He couldn't believe he had been stupid enough to think that Caroline might want him back, and now she wanted to make it clear that she wasn't attracted to him. Which made it difficult to understand for his brain why he kissed her, that night. She had pushed and pushed, and he snapped.

But he wanted her to see. He wanted her to understand how much he had wanted her since the beginning. His heart was all over the place, beating so hard it could have been mistaken for a drum, but died instantly when Caroline kissed him back. It was as if all his senses had come alive under her touch, and he had to have her if he wanted to keep breathing. Her skin, her touch, the feel of her against him, everything was incredible, and he couldn't stop. He lifted her on the table, and she killed him when she pulled him between her legs. All his body seemed uncontrollably attracted to hers, like magnets, like fate.

Desire had always made him shut down, thinking of nothing but the woman in his arms. But this was so much different. His desire for Caroline felt right, like spring after a long winter, and she was water for his parched soul.

It was heaven, pure, magical heaven. And he'd have done anything to keep her here forever.


	9. the dirty secret

**Hey guys ! So how did you like our little incursion in Klaus' mind ?**

**I'm so sorry I've taken so long at updating, but something kind of horrible happened to me, and I was in no condition to write or edit this chapter. I'm really sorry. **

**In answer to goldenhummingbird, there will be some Team Barbie moments coming up … Spoilers ! However, there won't be much Katholine action. Sorry !**

**As for my first guest review on chapter 8, yes, he was planning on breaking it off with her, but he also hoped that she would be relieved (which we all saw that she wasn't, and who can blame her) and maybe a little happy ? **

**Thank you to Stempley, SweetyK, tippy093 & modelgirl267, I love you guys. **

**Also, I'm scared for Klaus' pet bunny (called Marcel because obviously) now. **

**Okay, so we're back with miss Forbes and I hope you'll like this chapter :) As usual, thanks for all the follows and the favourites :)**

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><p>On Saturday morning, Caroline Forbes woke up a little later than she was used to.<p>

The boys had kept her awake until early that morning, getting her to play games like Life or Monopoly, feeding her endless strips of bacon, and trying, very hard, to get her to think about something – someone – else. They laughed, traded stories, playing like children, and even though Caroline felt good and relaxed, she could not help but notice that Rebekah should be here. She still couldn't believe how she could have lied about her family, but a small part, a growing part, of her understood why she did it. And she kind of missed her there. Tyler left around midnight, but Stefan and Caroline remained on the couch, talking and cuddling. Since Caroline had told him about how she felt towards her, they had briefly discussed Rebekah, but Stefan being Stefan, he shook his head and put her needs before his.

"Thank you." Caroline simply stated before holding him tighter. "But you really shouldn't feed my addiction to people, you know."

"I don't know what you mean." Stefan answered, with an angelic smile hanging on his lips. Caroline poked him with her elbow.

"Yes, you do. And I appreciate it."

"I can't help it if you grieve better with friends around."

Caroline scoffed. "And you think grieving alone is better ? Anyway, that's not what I wanted to say. What I meant was, I'm okay. I don't have anything to grieve over. I mean, it's not like he tricked me or cheated on me or anything."

"Well, he didn't exactly tell you he was engaged just a few days before."

"And Rebekah didn't exactly mention she was a Mikaelson." As she spoke, she felt Stefan tense up between her arms, sitting back upright. Caroline could tell she had hit the spot, and wished she could take her words back, but he cleared his throat and declared : "No, she didn't." Caroline tried to steer the subject away from Rebekah, to make him feel a little better. She nudged him with her shoulder.

"See ? No one is perfect. We all have secrets we'd rather not have spilled out."

She chuckled, while Stefan smiled up at her, turning to face her.

"Yeah ? What's _your_ dirty secret, little miss Caroline Forbes ?"

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours.", she teased, trying to make him laugh. He only smiled, though, and put on an air of false modesty.

"_Me ?_ I don't have any dirty secrets. You know I can't keep anything from you."

"Aw." Caroline pouted, pretending to be awed and grateful. Stefan chuckled, poked her elbow.

"But I have a feeling that I don't know your latest quite yet."

Caroline rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"You can't hide from me, Forbes."

Caroline refused to speak, at first, looking away and acting like she couldn't hear him. Stefan snorted and tickled her stomach until Caroline, who was laughing and shrieking, help up her hands in defeat.

"Fine, fine ! You win." She sat upright and stared at her friend, declaring: "Klaus may have been engaged last week, but at least he wasn't sleeping with her." Caroline looked at Stefan from underneath her lashes.

"What are you saying, Caroline ?", he frowned, crossing his arms against his chest.

Caroline squeaked, very quickly. "I'm saying I slept with Tyler."

Stefan was silent for a second, not showing any emotion. When he finally spoke, he did it softly and after a sigh.

"When ?"

"When he came over last time. The night of the ugly pj's."

"And you broke up with him the next day ?" Stefan exclaimed.

"I know, I feel awful about it. I'm a terrible person."

Stefan shook his head, took her hands in his. "No, you are not, Caroline."

"Anyways, that was my dirty secret." Caroline tried to laugh, but she only managed a small chuckle, and was trying to avoid Stefan's gaze. She knew he would not judge her, and she knew he would not hold it against her. But she knew that, now that it was out in the open, it could no longer be silent. It would follow her, wherever she went, and she would have to deal with it. She could no longer hide from it. She sighed, looking down at her legs. Stefan kissed her forehead, and softly declared :

"You are still the best person I know, Caroline Forbes. And I love you. But own up to what you did. Put things in perspective."

"When you say own up, you mean totally ignore it and never tell anyone else, right ?" She looked up to him with a small lopsided smile. He chuckled and squeezed her hands.

"I mean tell Klaus."

"Right." She rolled her eyes and pulled him in a hug. "Stop being such a good person, Salvatore. It's embarrassing for the rest of us." They had laughed for a while after that, and Stefan soon left her to go to sleep. 

Caroline, still in her bed despite the alarm blaring for her to get up, yawned and stretched, hitting the snooze button once more. She opened her eyes to the sun, smiling. Saturday. The last day she had to go through before she would be free to get drunk with her friends and dance on tables. Or, rather, get her roommate to Tyler's bar, have a few beers and then go to bed at eleven, cursing her boss for making her work too hard and making her too tired. She sighed. She couldn't believe it was only the end of her second week; she felt she had started to work forever ago. On the other hand, she was secretly glad of how she felt : if the rest of her career would make her feel as alive as the first two weeks had, then she couldn't wait to live through it. She was born for this. For the pressure, the excitement, the running around, the never ending parade of things that needed to be done ASAP. Sure, it didn't feel nice going through it, but once you had, it felt like paradise. Like she had earned feeling this good.

The only 'problem', so to speak, was her boss. She couldn't make her mind about him, even when he occupied a vast majority of her thoughts. It was crazy, to be as infatuated as she was so soon after meeting a person. She couldn't tell if it would last or not. Nor did she know whether she wanted it to or not. So, she did exactly what she knew she wanted : she got up, got dressed, and got to work. Subway, Starbucks, Office.

Even with only two weeks under her belt, Caroline felt as much at home here, in the firm, as she felt when she was with Stefan. She could see herself grow old in here. In the big, glass office, mind you, not on the secretarial desk. Her victory with Mason Lockwood made her swell with pride. Yes, she could do this, and she could do it well. And in style, too.

She was in such a good mood that morning that she grinned at everyone who came in for something or other, even the ones who came to yell or complain. And her smile was so infectious that everyone came out of there wearing it too. That didn't mean, however, that her work suddenly became easy, no. But she didn't mind. The harder it went, the harder she fought to do it well. To do it better. She handled the clients, handled the phone calls, handled the paperwork. She even handled Klaus' little brother who kept calling and calling, even after she told him that he wasn't here. She wondered if he had Klaus' cell phone number or if she should give it to him to have peace, but in the end, decided to use her charm to tell him to fuck off.

There weren't many legal firms in New-York City that would let her swear on the phone, Caroline mused, and her smile grew as she realized she had found the perfect place for her to work.

It came to no surprise to her that Klaus didn't show up that morning. She had asked him for that much, she remembered, but she missed him all the same. It surprised her, it angered her, but she did. She missed the way he took up so much space in her head. Today, she felt that space nagging at her in the back of her mind. It just stayed empty, like a sullen child who still wants to be acknowledged. She wondered if she was that small child to Klaus. Then, she wondered who she was to Klaus. Who Camille was. Who they both could be. If choosing between her and Camille was easy.

And when she saw that he was actually there, in the flesh, she was secretly – very secretly – relieved. "Hi."

He was leaning on the wall opposite her desk, staring at her. She didn't know how long he had been standing there, but she felt her heart doing the splits. He looked dashing in this suit – he looked dashing in any suit – but it was the fact that he wasn't wearing a tie, that he hadn't shaved, that he looked tired that really grabbed Caroline's attention.

"Hi." She answered in a small voice, before falling silent. A few seconds passed before she had the courage to speak again. "Are you here for work ?"

"No."

The answer fell like a blade, unwavering and resolute. Another silence filled the room as Caroline watched Klaus walk to her desk, putting his palms against the smooth surface. She had to speak before he did if she wanted to keep her head on her shoulders.

"You have a few messages. Some paperwork to sign. All of which can wait until Monday." The words tumbled out of her, and her heart was beating like crazy. She could smell the cologne – the same he had worn just two days before – on his skin, and she fought to keep her eyes open, fought not to give in.

"She's gone. Back to London.", he whispered, trying to get her to look at him, but couldn't see the shiver that ran across her back. She cleared her throat.

"You do, however, have a message from NYSAR which you should probably get. It's on your desk."

"Did you hear what I said ?"

She could hear the smile in his voice, but chose not to look.

"Oh, and one of your clients came by this morning -"

"Caroline." Klaus interrupted, extending a hand to invite her to stand. She hesitated a moment before taking it, going round her desk, and planting her feet in front of him. He forced her to look at him by taking her chin between his fingers, lifting it up gently. "She's gone."

"Are – Will you be leaving too ?" Caroline fought to keep her voice level, tried not to let him see the fear in her eyes. He frowned.

"What ? No. I love New-York."

"Okay."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about her."

"Okay."

"Are you actually at a loss for words ? Because that would be an international disaster."

He chuckled, and she hit his stomach playfully. "Shut up." He laughed again, harder, and pulled her in to him. She hid her face in his chest, reveling in his scent. She heard his heartbeat, fast and strong, against her skin, and closed her eyes. _Just one more second,_ she promised herself, _one second and then I'll move._ But she couldn't move. Not that he wouldn't have let her, no; just because for the second time that day, she felt at home. "You shouldn't be here.", she moaned softly.

"Where should I be, then ?" He had crossed his arms on her back, holding her tight, his face against her head. She realized that he, too, treated this hug as a probable last chance at touching her. It all hanged in what would be said next. She wanted to hide in him, not decide the rest of their relationship. It was too heavy, and she didn't want that burden. "I don't know.", she breathed.

"Because I want to be here."

"You can't -"

"Oh, I can."

"No, listen." She pushed him back, leaving his touch. She had to look at him, or she would never be able to say what weighted on her mind. "I have something I have to say before I lose my courage and I can't have you be, you know, you and cutting me off and kissing me."

"Okay." He frowned, not knowing what would come next. The words came out of her before she could think of how to say them, impatient to be out in the open. Impatient to be on an equal footing with the man she was crazy about.

"I slept with Tyler. Before I knew about Camille. Before you and I kissed."

An incredibly long – at least that's how it felt – silence crept in after her declaration. Klaus didn't move away from her, which was something – to Caroline, it felt more like everything – but he didn't exactly seem okay with it, either. After a second or two, he finally spoke.

"Why is that a problem ?"

Caroline was so desperate to explain herself that she almost jumped in after he finished talking.

"Because I liked you. Because I wanted you, not him. I used him and I feel horrible about it. I acted so fucking high and mighty when I had no right to. I used him because I wanted to be distracted. And I convinced myself that it was okay because I didn't want to feel guilty about it and feel like a lesser person for it, but the truth, the ugly truth is that it isn't okay. I used someone and that should never be okay. And if it isn't okay for you to be engaged, then it isn't okay for me to go around sleeping with people."

"Do you go around sleeping with people ?"

"No, I don't. What I meant was -"

"I know what you meant, Caroline. I was playing with you." He raised an eyebrow.

"Well, don't, because I'm really emotional right now and you shouldn't be here. You should be running off after your future wife."

"She's not my future wife."

"You can't throw seven years at the window."

"I can. It makes me feel awful, and unworthy, but I can. Listen, Caroline, even after seven years living and breathing next to her, I don't feel as strongly for her as I do for you."

Caroline looked down and blushed, very aware of her body and her heartbeat. What Klaus said next, however, she never expected.

"Nothing good ever comes easy, Caroline."

She looked back up, surprised, not knowing what to think. She still had the image of Camille nagging at the back of her mind, but she couldn't ignore what she wanted. What she felt. She couldn't ignore that he was in her thoughts, always, and that she felt incredibly close to him. She couldn't call it love because it was too soon for either for them to feel this strongly, because they didn't know each other well enough, because they had never seen each other at their worst. But she could call it infatuation, she could call it obsession, she could call it lust. But, in the end, it didn't matter what she would call it. All that mattered was that they were here, in this room, and that they could look at each other, realize that they are not perfect, and that they didn't want to walk away from the other. They still were into each other. So when Klaus asked her if she as hungry, Caroline didn't hesitate; she took her purse, took his hand, and led him outside.

They ended up in a small, quirky, cheap restaurant that Caroline had heard made the best southern food in the City. The reality was disappointing, but the company was not. Klaus was charming and outgoing and funny. They ended up talking about all their nice, heartwarming memories of growing up – Caroline talked a lot more than Klaus, but he seemed to enjoy it all the better – deciding not to go near the not-so-nice stuff they should have been talking about instead. It's not that they had forgotten about Tyler and Camille, no; it's just that the evening was warm and inviting, and that their week had been dramatic enough. They had chosen to put it off until Monday, giving them the week-end off.

Caroline did not know that much about dating – with Matt in sophomore year, it had meant hanging out with other people around, and with Damon in her last two years of high school, it had meant yelling at each other everywhere they went, and falling in bed, scrambling to get each other naked – but she felt incredibly at ease and like herself. Maybe because she hadn't had time to worry about it, since they hadn't planned any of it, but she believed it was mostly because she had told Klaus about one of the worst things she'd ever done, and he was still there. He still had asked her out. He still was very much into her.

She felt like her heart had grew up three sizes, swelling up with happiness. She was warm, and calm, and lucky. She couldn't stop smiling and staring happily at the man sitting opposite her. He was telling her about the time he and Kol were running after Rebekah in the garden, determined that she kissed the frog Kol was holding between his hands and turn him into her prince. She was shrieking and running and all three of them were laughing until they couldn't run anymore. Caroline laughed, too, and told him about the times where she was called bossy because she planned and organized her own birthday parties, even the surprise ones. She liked things a certain way, and she liked them done properly. She wasn't ashamed of that at all, she told him, too.

"Control Freak." he joked, sweetly, smiling at her. She almost stuck out her tongue at him, but settled for throwing a napkin at him, which made him laugh.

They talked about their friends, their families, where they had gone to college and the adventures they had there. Klaus was astonished to hear that Caroline had been a wild animal in college; but she assured him that she still had the best grades in her class. Klaus, on the other hand, had been a well-behaved student who had never stepped out of line, which provided Caroline with a great topic to tease him with.

When their meal was over and the bill payed – split 50/50 because Caroline refused that he payed for her, and launched in a feminist rant ("_Unless they're broke or have a very good excuse, I do believe women should pay for things too. I mean, it's not the fifties any more._") -, Klaus insisted that he walked Caroline home, even though they were far from Williamsburg. But Caroline was secretly glad : she didn't want the evening to end. They walked, leisurely, hand in hand, debating whether New-York was a better or worse city to live in than London. He asked her about Mystic Falls, too, about who she had left behind to become America's most kick-ass lawyer – her words – and she asked him about all the trips he had made around the world. For Caroline, who had never gone anywhere, hearing him describe his vacations in France and Spain and South-East Asia was magical. He talked about his semester abroad in Hong Kong, and she was so jealous he had to promise her a trip to China for next Christmas. She also swore once or twice that she hated him, but he laughed it off and held her waist as they walked.

Her feet cried for mercy, her legs too; but Caroline was too engrossed by Klaus that she didn't pay any attention to them. She never wanted the night to end, even though they were getting dangerously close to her flat. She'd never let him in, it was way too early for her to, but she didn't want to shut him out.

Klaus took her completely by surprise – again, may she add – when he stopped at the door of her building, not letting her go in, and looked at her very seriously. "Caroline, I don't want to spoil what has been the perfect evening, but I have to. We need to talk about Camille. And Tyler. And Rebekah, too."

"We kind of do, don't we ?" She laughed, sadly, and sat down on a bench – her knees wobbled and her legs couldn't support them any more -. "Where should we start ?" she asked when he sat down next to her.

"How do you feel ?"

"I feel – I feel like I want to forget. I feel like I received a pretty bad blow when I learned that you had been engaged when we flirted and that you never said anything. I feel like Camille hates me, and I can't deal with that right now. I mean, is she going to, I don't know, tee-pee the office and trash my desk ? She certainly is angry at us."

"She is, but she's gone. She's back in London, by now. If she's going to trash anything, it's the few things I left behind."

"But it's weird, Klaus. When I'm with you, I feel like I won the fucking lottery because you're so great and funny and nice and interesting, and then I go home and everybody expects me to hate you because you did a sucky, sucky thing. But, I mean, we all do sucky things, don't we ? I know I did."

"You're not mad at what I did ?"

"I was, for like five minutes. And I was shocked, and I was sad. I think the main thing that keeps bugging me is that you should have told me, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a hard time taking your word as gospel now, but, other than that I'm not mad, no."

"What are you, then ?"

Caroline shrugged slowly. "Can we talk about something else ?"

"I don't think that we should forget, Caroline. I think that we should keep in mind that we screw up. That we have flaws. I want to build something with you," - Caroline looked up at him, surprised, as her heart skipped another beat - "and I want you to know that I can be an arsehole sometimes. And I want – need – to know that you can forgive me for that." He took her hand, caressing the soft flesh of her palms.

"I want to, Klaus. I do. Because I want to build something with you, too. But, really, I have nothing to forgive."

"I deliberately forgot to tell you that I was engaged, Caroline."

"Oh, I know, I remember. But I deliberately forgot to tell you that I used someone for distraction."

"Loads of people do that, you know."

"Doesn't make it okay."

"We'll just be a couple of arseholes, then."

Caroline giggled softly, playing with Klaus' fingers between hers. "I mean it, though. I have nothing to forgive, you didn't 'belong' to me."

"I kind of did."

"No, you didn't, Klaus. The only person you have to answer to is yourself. And Camille, too. But in the end, all that matters to me is that you're a good person."

"I'm not sure that I am, you know. I try, I really do. I want to be a good person. But I'm not sure that it's in my DNA."

"You try ?"

"I try."

"I can deal with try."

Klaus gazed up at her, a small smile spreading on his lips. "Yeah ?" he asked, softly, and Caroline could not not grin at him. "Yeah."

"I'll see you tomorrow ?"

"No, tomorrow's my day off."

"I know. But that doesn't mean I don't want to see you."

Caroline giggled. "It's my day off. Even from you."

"Ouch." Klaus pretended to hurt badly, and made Caroline laugh harder. "Sorry, but Sunday is for friends. I'll see you on Monday."

"Okay." He leaned forward and kissed her nose. "Call Rebekah, though. I'm sure she feels awful."

"I will. I promise. Now kiss me goodnight."

"Your wish, my command."

He leaned once more towards Caroline, slowly, but she was too eager to wait for him. She grabbed his neck and pulled him to her, found his lips with hers easily. She felt his laughter against her skin, making her blush and shiver, but she was too engrossed in him to care. It was as if her whole body came alive at the same time, blood rushing through her veins, pushing her against him. His kiss, his touch, his tongue, all sent electricity down her spine, and she was hanging onto him to stay still. His fingers brushed against her thigh; her fingers explored his hair, finding their place on the nape of his neck, and her mind shut down. It was just him and their kiss, violent and mind blowing, and Caroline felt transported. She had only wanted a small, simple kiss, but her body refused her that privilege, opting instead for a heart wrenching embrace that would not leave her all through the night. It was magic, it was fate; but it wasn't what was best for them. Caroline, however, could not care less at that moment. She was hoping for more, but Klaus gently pushed her away when their lips parted. He whispered to her, in a raspy voice : "Goodnight, Caroline." He was only inches away from her, and if she wanted, she could still touch him. But she felt paralyzed on the spot, and it was all that she could do to say it back. He kissed her forehead, his hand sliding on her neck, and she closed her eyes to cherish the simple touch. He was gone, however, when she opened them up, and she breathed in loudly. She felt tipsy, even though she only had one drink the entire night – she really didn't want to be hammered for this, whatever it was -. She breathed out, trying to catch her breath, smiling to herself, allowing herself to be love struck for a second or two before picking herself up and unlocking the door to her building.


End file.
